Secrets - Hiatus
by Fae 206
Summary: Kyoko has just married the love of her life and is accepted into the Hizuri family, however it is not complete bliss for the couple. Though she now knows Corn's identity, Kuon is still hiding his past and so is Kyoko along with a couple of other things. When Kuon gets extremely ill and Kyoko finds out she's pregnant can their relationship last. And why does Kuon not know who Bo is?
1. Chapter 0 - Identity

**Author Note:** To my surprise, and perhaps joy, I am getting addicted to my reread of this series and decided to start a second fic. There are three differences between this and my other fic. First of all this is all original content, secondly it is a lot less dark that my other one, third it takes place only slightly in the future but with information only up to Chapter 140.

This prologue takes place pre-relationship whilst the chapters will take place starting from Kyoko and Kuon's wedding day.

 **Secrets**

 **Prologue - Identity**

Kyoko looked up into her senpai's eyes as she felt her blood run down her veins. She felt cold and uncertain about what she was about to say, but perhaps doing it with her guts was the best. After all, from the very start Tsuruga-san had said that he liked her guts and admired her courage. She took another breath as she thought about all the kind things he had done and maybe this could be her wish.

It was one month before her birthday and perhaps since she was turning eighteen soon it was a good time to do it. She saw Tsuruga-san waiting for her extremely patiently and she blushed seeing his smile. "Uh—" she shivered a little bit, "I…" she continued.

"If you're not ready to tell me this important secret you don't have to," Ren said cautiously. He felt guilty her telling him that she had a very very top secret which if he didn't approve of he was bound by a pact never to tell.

"I…" Kyoko said very slowly, "I…think I'm in love with you, Tsuruga-san" she bowed deeply. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "I know I'm a plain woman who is boring and I shouldn't have put you in this position. I am so sorry."

Ren blinked hard, "Okay," he nodded unsure what else to say.

Kyoko looked up at him mortified. She felt as if her spirit had departed from her body. Of course he didn't think of her that way. She felt her whole body shake and looked away, "I am…I'm sorry for inconveniencing you," she bowed again.

Ren smiled again as he let a slight laugh from his mouth and Kyoko turned even deeper red. "I'm sorry," he said before smiling, "I am just very happy to hear that. I think I'm in love with you, Kyoko-chan" he grinned as she stared up at him. "Plus, I wouldn't say you were plain or boring at all. In fact you are the person I enjoy talking with, spending time with, and thinking about the most."

Kyoko grinned as she listened to him and thought about how lucky she was to have Japan's best actor fall in love with her. "Could you…say it again?" she asked. She didn't want to have heard him wrong and jumped to the wrong conclusion, her heart was much too sensitive for that.

Ren grinned and repeated the words, "I am in love with you," he said slowly.

Kyoko grinned widely. Was this really happening? It was much better than the way Shoutarou had treated her. Maybe this time she could really open her heart to love and if she could open it to Ren then she could open it to the audience as well.

"However, I have been…concealing something from you. Can we go somewhere private and discuss it?" he asked her as she nodded.

She didn't know what it was, but she did know that Ren was a good guy and she was beyond thrilled that she was the one he had fallen in love with. She followed him to a secluded area and watched his eyes. The color seemed to fade a little from them and she noticed how serious he was. What was he going to tell her? Was he actually going to say that he shot a man in Reno, or whatever that phrase was.

She looked at him confused as he removed his contacts and stared at the green eyes hidden beneath.

She blinked hard, why did they look so familiar? Why did they look like the eyes of the man she had always been destined to fall in love with? What did green eyes have to do with anything and why was Ren hiding them. Green eyes were somewhat exotic in Japan and would lead to more modeling contracts for him.

"Kyoko," he said as he looked at her, "You know that Tsuruga, Ren is a stage name, don't you?" he asked as he tried to ease her into the situation.

Kyoko nodded, "I had a feeling about it, but I thought I was incorrect." She took a deep breath in, "Even if you have a stupid name though, I still want to be with you."

"Even if my name was Dragon Hartnett the third?" Ren asked before mentally kicking himself, this was no time for jokes.

Kyoko tilt her head to the side, "Are you saying that's what your name is. I can see why you chose Ren Tsuruga," she said honestly.

Ren frowned, "Not exactly…" he hesitated, "my real name is Hizuri, Kuon. I am the son of Hizuri, Kuu and yes I am the same Hizuri, Kuon that you pretended to be."

Kyoko froze before looking at him wide eyed and with her jaw dropping. "Huh?" she asked as she looked him over. Was this some kind of a joke? "Hi-Hi-Hizuri Kuon?" she stuttered.

"It's top secret of course," he told her, "but there's another name that you know me under."

Kyoko nodded still unsure how to respond to that truth bomb. "Uh Huh," she whispered.

"Do you remember when you had first started at LME and you dropped your blue stone down the stairs and there was a boy with blonde hair, green eyes, who enjoyed doing flips and you helped with a moist towel, who gave you that stone and I asked if you came from Kyoto? And remember when, during our time as Setsuna and Cain you saw that blonde man again emerge from the ocean?" he asked as he saw the color drain from Kyoko's face.

"I uh…didn't tell you what Corn looked like," she said slowly.

Ren frowned uncertain about why he was doing this. "It's not necessary to be told what you look like when you remember looking in the mirror," he said gently before he bowed to her. "I deeply apologize for every pain I have caused you."

Kyoko blinked again, "Uh…yeah…" she said before staring at him again, "What?"

Ren hesitated a bit. He shifted nervously not sure whether to reach out and touch her or just let her be.

Kyoko stared at him, her body shaking. "I…yeah…" she looked at him. "I'm really angry right now," she said before shaking her head as he opened his mouth to speak, "no, I'm really frustrated,"

"If I can do anything to soften the blow.." Ren said tentatively.

Kyoko surprisingly put her hand on his cheek. "I _am_ really frustrated," she repeated, "but I think I love you even more. Why didn't you tell me this? When we were shooting Dark Moon together, you never told me. I was so worried about you, well Corn, but you just -"

"Stood there and tried to reassure you that Corn got his wings. I wasn't trying to make fun of you or torture you, but I wasn't ready to tell you at that point. When you dropped Corn, you hated me and if I had told you who I was it might have stained your memory," Ren tried to explain himself.

He was surprised when Kyoko kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her up to get a better angle. "Don't try to talk your way out of this," Kyoko said before grinning, "but now I get to be with two men that I fell in love with all in one man. I love you, Kuon…" she giggled. "I have to get used to that."

Ren held her tightly, "Just Ren is fine for right now, I'm not ready to make my identity known."

Kyoko nodded and put a hand over her heart, "I promise that I won't tell a soul."

"So, what do we do first? How about I take you out to dinner tonight?" he asked as she giggled.

"Sure, but you have to promise to eat a full meal," she said as she lifted a finger to him. Ren Tsurugra, Kuon Hizuri, Corn, all three of them were now her new boyfriend and she had a mission to make this relationship last against all the odds.

"Deal," he grinned.


	2. Chapter 1 - I now pronounce you

**Chapter One – I now pronounce you…**

 **Two and a half years later**

Everyone had always said that wedding dresses were supposed to be beautiful. There were always girls who dreamed about the perfect wedding dress. There were hundreds of magazines around the world that featured wedding dresses as at least a part of their focus. There were fairy tales that highlighted the wonderful gown the girl wore when she became a princess.

Then there was the dress that Kyoko Mogami had just put on, she still didn't understand how it could be as magical and beautiful and wonderful as it was.

Not sparing the expense, she had ordered a one of a kind dress with lace, gems, hand embroidery, and the most beautiful satin and other fabrics. She had gone in for multiple consultations and fittings and she had a long train on it which was sparkling and had pictures of things like fairies and princesses and diamonds all cut out in the lace and put on so you could see them in the light.

It was the princess dress that even someone in a fantasy would envy.

And it was all Kyoko's.

… at least she had paid for sixty-percent of it herself and then her soon to be father in law had paid the rest. She would have to thank him before they walked down the aisle…or pathway since they had chosen to get married in a gorgeous and exclusive park filled with gorgeous flowers and with the perfect amount of shade.

"I feel like a princess," Kyoko grinned as she twirled around in her dress a little, "I can't believe it. This dress is so beautiful," she giggled before looking back at her maid of honor. "Don't you think it's gorgeous Moko?" she asked, her eyes bright and looking for a compliment.

"Well, it is beautiful," Kane sighed and looked at her, "but the dress isn't the main thing here. You know you could leave and still keep the dress if you wanted, or are you really prepared to be somebody's wife."

"Mokoooo!" Kyoko said as she hugged her best friend, "I _know_ that I'm going to be a wife, but…I don't think he'll make me be a wife in the traditional sense if I don't want to. Kuon's always supported my acting and I think if I told him I wanted to continue he'd say that he thought that would be it."

"So," Kanae smirked, "I guess you did learn to love. It's nice that he's so honorable, but if you don't feel right about it. Mo." She sighed, "I just hope that he doesn't treat you badly, I might have to have some more words with him if he does that."

Kyoko shook her head, "It's not the same. When I thought about marrying that idiot Shoutaro in the past, well I always thought happily about preparing meals and having kids and being the housewife you hear about, but I can't see Kuon demanding dinner or telling me to do housework or taking advantage of me." Kyoko giggled again, "and you know why?"

"Tell me," Kanae sighed, but still grinned up at the bride.

"Because he's waited up for me before. When I was with Demon Number One, I would wait up for him so I could make him dinner or help him. I wouldn't feel right going to sleep without him being home, but I had to accept that. When we first started living together, I was scared that it would be the same thing. I got caught up in a meeting with the president and then there was traffic. It was just after midnight and when I got in I was quiet so he could get his rest. Then I suddenly see him waiting for me and he hasn't eaten, but he's been making sure everything is clean and then I saw that he had been keeping our dinner warm."

Kyoko grinned, "Even though it was really late, he sacrificed a hot dinner to eat together and it was fun. Then he kept doing it, even if it was only rice balls or hamburger egg, he would always wait for me and his first question was always, 'How was your day, Kyoko?'" She blushed happily.

Kanae blinked hard just watching her friend laugh and twirl and rejoice over the fact she was going to become joined in union to someone else. Kanae was definitely not ready to do that herself. Maybe she should have grown up a little, but men got in the way of career and even if there was only one guy she was interested in, if it wasn't advantageous to her then maybe she wouldn't marry him.

There was a knock on the door and Kyoko went to open it, she smiled seeing her three other bridesmaids – including Maria and Chiori – and her father in law. She hugged him tightly taking him by surprise a little. "Father" she grinned, "How do I look?"

Kuu gave her two thumbs up before holding her close, "You're a real vision," he smiled. "Your photographs are going to be wonderful, I need to get copies of all of them, at least two copies of all of them."

Kyoko smiled, "Of course," she nervously moved her foot in small circles, "Have you seen Kuon?" she asked. She had wanted to see what he was wearing, but he had playfully told her that it wasn't fair for her to be so secretive about her dress and for him not to give her any surprises.

"I have no words to describe the joy my son is showing that comes from marrying you today," Kuu assured her and Kyoko nodded. She held onto Kuu's hand as he led her down the garden.

…..

….

Kuon was wearing an elegant white suit with silver detailing that had been made especially for him by one of Japan's top designers. He had a three piece suit with a blue tie the same color as the Corn stone. He was wearing white formal boots with gold accents and all the immaculately white pieces of clothing seemed to sparkle in the light as he stood beside a tree and under a silver and white archway.

He had been lucky enough to find out the colors that would compliment Kyoko's own dress through his father, though all information other than that was out of his reach.

"So, are you really going to say told you so again?" Kuon asked his manager, best friend, and best man. He grinned happily as he looked in front of him to where Kyoko would enter. His blonde hair had been styled in a way that looked modern and yet elegant at the same time and his green eyes caught all the light that the decorations provided.

"I think you've heard it enough for a lifetime, Kuon," Yashiro grinned. "However, I believe I was the first one to note how in love with Kyoko you were."

Kuon laughed again, "You mean how in love with Kyoko I am," he said before the music played. It was a slightly stylized version of 'Here Comes the Bride' to sound like it could have been played by fairies during an elegant fairy tale ball. Kuon didn't mind as long as Kyoko was happy.

As he caught sight of her he took in how gorgeous she was. She had grown her hair out so that it trickled down her back and today it was a lighter red, very beautiful.

Kuon felt his heart soften as his smile seemed to have enough power to light up the ocean better than any lighthouse. He saw her looking at him with so much love and hope in her eyes and everything seemed to stop for a moment as the world changed into a glowing orb which surrounded only them. Nothing else mattered but this wonderful woman who was going to become his wife.

"Kyoko," he said as she reached him, "Wow," he laughed as she giggled.

"My prince Kuon," she said, "Corn," she repeated as she squeezed his hand.

Kuon inhaled deeply and they both turned to the man officiating their wedding who was of course, Lory Takarada. Kuon put a hand up to his mouth to hide a laugh as he saw the president smiling widely but also nearly crying at the same time.

"L-Lory" Kyoko asked, having been asked to use that familiar term a year or so ago, "Uh…are you o—"

Kuon laughed gently before nodding, "He is," he promised before wrapping an arm around behind his very soon to be wife.

The beginning of the ceremony went well, though Kuon hadn't remembered the traditional wedding reception having this much of a speech, but before he knew it, it was time for the vows and Kyoko was going first.

Kyoko turned and gazed up into the face of her prince and then closed her eyes. "Kuon, you are my favorite person in the entire world," she said. "You are my childhood friend, my mentor, my most accurate critic, my prince, one of my best friends, and the man I love. All of that in one person is amazing and I am so lucky to have been given a path to find you. For all the things that Tsuruga Ren taught me and for all the many many more amazing things that Kuon Hizuri has taught me, I just want to say thank you.

As we go through our life together, I promise to always do my best to be your support when you get a cold, and you _will_ get a cold, to read lines with you and motivate you to develop your many wonderful gifts and talents, to talk to you when you feel like you're alone and to love you unconditionally for eternity. I love you, Kuon and I want to go through every day celebrating the passionate, caring, faithful, thoughtful, and most warm-hearted man I have ever met.

Right now, I just want to repeat how thankful I am for you. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have the amazing life I do have. Thank you for never giving up on me even when I disappointed you. Thank you for coming to my rescue whenever I needed you to. Thank you for loving me and being the person who could make me believe in love again and thank you most of all for being you, my prince, my Ren, my Corn, and most importantly, my Kuon."

Kuon laughed a little as he looked at her and listened to her vows. There was no denying how much love they shared between them and Kyoko giggled a little as she saw the tears in her eyes. If she had brought that emotion from him then she must have shown how much she adored him.

Kuon took a deep breath and started speaking. "Kyoko, there aren't enough words to describe you. As a person, as an actress, as a friend, and now as my wife, I can't even begin to talk about those many amazing and wonderful qualities that you do have. You aren't afraid to show your passion or break down walls to reach your dreams and you help me knock them down with the right amount of determination as well.

You are understanding even when I thought you might not want to understand. You listen to me and can actually tell me when I'm being stupid knowing that even if we argue, I'll still always come back to you and you to me. When I was young I thought that my life couldn't be as amazing as my father's and I realize that the reason I thought that was because I didn't have you.

I am never going to grow up and be my father, but I'm going to be something much better, I am going to be myself. I am going to be your husband, the man who will always protect you, care about you, make sure you are safe and healthy, and most of all supporting you with all of your dreams. You gave me wings to fly, Kyoko, and all of our friends and family have had their lives become better just because of you being there. I promise to always be there for you, my princess.

You are the reason I can live my life, proud to be Kuon Hizuri, your prince and I am beyond proud to become the man known as your husband. Thank you, Kyoko, my lovely wonderful fairytale Kyoko for giving me my wings. I just wish that throughout our lives together I will make your world as wonderful as you make mine every single moment of every single day."

Kyoko tried to wipe away the tears from her own eyes and smiled with a soft laugh as Kuon gave her his handkerchief.

They both turned towards the president of LME and waited for him to compose himself.

"So," Lory said, "Kuon, do you take Kyoko to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Kuon grinned, "I do," he nodded.

"And Kyoko, do you take Kuon to be your lawfully wedding husband?"

Kyoko laughed loudly and beautifully, smiling widely, "Of course I do," she grinned.

"Then I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride," Lory ended to a loud applause that could be heard for miles around as Kuon picked Kyoko up and spun her whilst kissing as she held on tightly.

Could life get any more wonderful than this?


	3. Chapter 2 - The Unexpected

**Chapter Two – The Unexpected**

Kyoko grinned to herself as she held the script for her latest drama. She had accepted the part of an artist who had been living with an illness for a few years and it was going to get worse. She was paying attention to her art though and living one day at a time. It was really a very beautiful piece and Kyoko was looking forward to playing across from her husband. She grinned as she thought back on her beautiful, European, honeymoon.

" _Are you feeling okay?" Kuon asked as he gently set Kyoko back on the bed. His voice was so calming and gentle, his eyes with such love and warmth, and his smile so refreshing. She felt beautiful. He had made sure that her first time was beautiful, that their first time was beautiful._

" _Yes," Kyoko laughed as she felt Kuon's sweet touch on her, "I'm sorry for making you wait," she apologized. She felt her cheeks turn red as she mentally reminded herself that she had given Kuon her virginity and he had waited until after they were married and she was ready._

 _He grinned to her, "as long as you're happy, I'm happy" he said as she reached out and put her hand on his toned chest._

" _I am." She smiled as she felt him wrap his arms towards her, lying next to her and keeping her close. She giggled again._

 _Life seemed perfect._

Kyoko blushed as she thought about how gentle her husband had been and how much she had enjoyed sharing a bed with him. Once it had happened once it had turned into something she had felt a giddy excitement to do each time. Even though it had become part of their routine over the last two months, Kuon had never stopped being careful with her and gentle and treating her like the princess he told her that she was.

Her heart lit up as she saw her best friend walking down the LME corridor. "Mookooo!" she called after her before hugging her. "How are you today? It's been too long since we've seen each other."

Kanae sighed as she raised an eyebrow, "We saw each other last week," she commented as Kyoko looked down disappointed.

"I know," she said as she sighed and concentrated on the ground, "I know. I feel guilty that we haven't spent as much time together. I really wish that we could hang out. We can do it without Kuon…or with him, he really likes you Moko"

Kanae put two fingers on her forehead, "Alright. Maybe we can go out shopping and your husband can join us for dinner," she said as Kyoko hugged her tightly.

"Moko! This is going to be amazing, thank you" she laughed.

Kanae smiled and turned to her, "I'm not going to be forced to eat a lot and we better not go out for snacks if we're going to have dinner," she commented as Kyoko nodded whilst listening to her. "So, how are the two of you doing?"

Kyoko's smile faded a little. Although he was very skilled at hiding it, Kuon had been ill for a couple of weeks, but nobody knew. She had heard him in the night coughing and his appetite had definitely decreased. She had thought that if she cooked some foods that he did like that he would eat more but even that wasn't happening. He had always had problems with eating full meals, but now it just seemed to be getting far worse than before.

She would have questioned him about it being something more serious than the flu had she not felt sick as well. Her stomach was hurting and she felt more nauseous than usual. She also had started feeling a little more exhausted. Still, if her husband could keep up his work even though he didn't feel well then she could as well.

"Hello?" Kanae asked as she waited for Kyoko to wake up from her thoughts, "You two doing okay? Don't tell me that you're thinking of divorce already?"

Kyoko blinked hard and shook her head, "No. No divorce," she smiled, "It's just that Kuon has a bug and he's already gone to the doctors twice, or his second appointment is today. It's not like him to go twice so it's a little concerning, but maybe if he finds out what's wrong with him then I'll know what he gave to me."

Kanae took a step back, "Don't tell me that you're sick. I just got the lead in a movie and no way am I going to drop out because of a cold. If you're sick then keep it to yourself."

Kyoko sighed, she bowed her head and then exhaled slowly. "Sorry Moko," she said nervously, "I don't know if I am sick though. I don't think I've had this bug before, maybe I should go to get medication myself."

Kanae nodded, "Get a shot. That way even if you're not sick now, you won't get sick during your shoot and most importantly, you won't get _me_ sick. Do I have to push you there?"

When Kyoko shook her head Kanae smiled, at least she could still talk sense into her friend despite her being committed to her marriage.

….

….

Was there a word to describe the point where your body got so frozen because the words that you had just heard were so terrifying? Was there a way of remembering this shock so you could use it in a scene?

Those were just two of the questions that Kuon was mentally asking himself as he stared at his doctor.

He had only gone to this second exam because Kyoko had persuaded him to. Kyoko was also one of the few people who could read him and figure him out. If he hadn't gone, she would be upset, and if he had said he'd gone when he didn't, she would be upset and irritated that he lied to her. What was best, at least what Kuon had thought at the time, was to go to the doctor's and find out it was nothing.

It wasn't nothing.

This news was definitely not, even in a very stretched out meaning of the word, nothing.

"Wh-What?" Kuon asked as he stared at the doctor. Maybe he had heard it wrong and the doctor had said something else. He thought about it and tried to count the number of different words that he might have misheard ** 'gun' 'sharinigan' 'byakugan' 'rasengan' 'ganbatte'

"Mr. Hizuri," the doctor said, "I'm afraid that we definitely have proof of the cancerous cells in your body. We don't know how long they have been there but they do seem to have spread from your stomach."

Kuon blinked before giving a gentleman smile, "You must be mistaken. I take very good care of my body and there is no chance that I have that kind of illness."

"We've run the tests multiple times," the doctor tried to explain, "Is there anyone that you'd like us to call, your wife for instance."

Kuon's eyes snapped open a little. He thought about Kyoko's smiling face and how she would break down crying if he was to tell her. He thought about the disappointment that might flash through her body. The worst outcome would be for her to feel guilty and to give up on her work just to take care of him. He was definitely capable of taking care of himself without bothering her.

"No," Kuon said slowly, "I don't want to needlessly worry her," he continued to force a smile. "After all, the tests are either wrong or inconclusive. There is no chance of cancer being in my body."

The doctor hesitated, "I know it's a hard thing to accept, but you do have stomach cancer and it looks like you've had it for some time." The doctor took a deep breath in, "Have you ever felt a pain in your stomach after eating a full meal? Have you ever had a large appetite? Have you ever felt worried or nervous when you do eat?" he asked as Kuon felt himself being pinched inside his body.

All of those things had been true even before Kyoko had come back into his life.

"No," Kuon lied, his gentleman's smile getting even more dazzling, "Not at all."

What the heck was he going to do now?

…..

 **Special Author Note:**

Cancer in Japanese is gan. Sharinigan = clairvoyant. Byakugan = white eye. Rasengan = Spiral Sphere.

…..

…..

She knew it was late at night and that Kuon would be waiting up for her, but as Kyoko entered the apartment, she didn't know whether to grin or be nervous about the tests. She had managed to be scheduled for the very last appointment with the doctor and after waiting for the test results, she had heard the words that would change her life, their lives.

"Mrs. Hizuri, you're pregnant."

She had frozen as they had said those words to her. She was pregnant? _She_ was pregnant? She didn't know what to do. Of course when she was engaged and now as a married woman, she had planned to have kids with Kuon. She had dreamt about their life as a family and she had always imagined Kuon to be a very good and gentle father figure. Now didn't seem to be the right time for them to have a child.

After the appointment, Kyoko had found herself pacing around outside the hospital before deciding it was best to just head home. She didn't know how to explain it to Kuon though. She had thought about how he would take it, her first thought had been his overjoyed smile at being told he was going to be a father. She had imagined him putting his arms around her and holding her close. She had imagined laughing as Kuon kissed her and told her that she would be an amazing mother.

Then she had imagined him angry. She had remembered the cold look in Kuon's eyes when she had first met him. She had thought about his words about how irresponsible she could be. She imagined him to be unhappy about this, to not want to talk about this, to tell her how important their careers were.

She had been terrified to tell that type of Kuon.

Opening the apartment door, she slipped in. Maybe if she was quiet she wouldn't have to tell him how her day was and she could avoid the subject. He never really went to sleep before she came home, but she could possibly slip in without him noticing her.

She wasn't ready to talk without practicing what it was she wanted to tell him.

As she entered the apartment, she was surprised to find Kuon asleep on the sofa.

Had he tried to wait up for her but failed? Was he really that sick? At this point, Kyoko thought more about what could have happened during his appointment than hers. He had told her it was a regular checkup but he did seem to be more ill than she had ever seen him. If she wasn't so confident in him, she could have become really worried about his strength.

Nothing bad would happen to them, he had promised her that.

Kyoko smiled as she went to their bedroom and picked up a spare blanket, it was really best not to worry him right now. She would tell him the news later when he was rested. As she managed to tuck the blanket around him, she knelt in front of him with a smile.

She reached out to touch his blond hair.

She had only told him a few times how much better he looked with his natural hair color and not Tsuruga Ren's. She always felt it though. The way that he looked when he was Kuon was gorgeous, he did look attractive when he was Ren, but this felt better. He was her Corn. She smiled as she looked at a photograph of her and Ren from when they were first dating.

He looked so much different, so poised and mature. He had really brought out those professional aspects of his personality with his look and his very formal clothes. When he had started to dress more casually, though still in these designer clothes, and decided to keep his blond hair and green eyes, she had felt closer to him. She had also discovered how goofy he could be, how blind and unobservant he sometimes was, how he could sometimes be clumsy and cute. She had noticed the proper him much more.

Maybe that's how she could look at him as her husband without feeling weird about it.

She had been beside him as he had come out as Kuon to the world and she had seen the funeral for Ren. When she was with Ren, she had been so happy and confident and that only grew when she was with Kuon.

She saw him look at her, watching her with his green eyes that she adored so much.

"Hey, princess. How was your day today?" he asked despite just waking up.

"Even better now that I'm at home with you," Kyoko said as he smiled at her. She let her fingers continue to play with his hair and blushed a little as he grinned at her.

"I'm glad."


	4. Chapter 3 - Telling Him

**Chapter Three – Telling Him**

So, she was pregnant. She, Kyoko Hizuri, had a life growing inside of her that she wanted to protect. She was going to have a baby and she didn't hate the idea at all, not when it was her husband's as well. She put a hand on her stomach and closed her eyes.

She hadn't been able to tell Kuon the previous night, in fact all she really had been able to accomplish was persuading him to use the bathroom for the night, to get changed into something he could sleep better in, and to go to sleep in the bed instead of the sofa. Although she had wanted to tell him and see his reaction, even planning a few ways in which she could do so, she had kept it to herself.

That was alright, wasn't it? Many wives kept the news of pregnancy to themselves for a couple of days, maybe even weeks or maybe there were some women who didn't tell their husbands for a couple of months.

Kyoko was resolved to tell him today.

She sat straighter in the bed as she looked at the time, it was just before six and she should get started for the day. She gazed down on her gorgeous husband again and played around with his blond hair. He had to be telling her the truth, right?

"You," she whispered before kissing his forehead, "are the person who taught me how to be brave."

She frowned as she felt how warm his temperature was. She could lecture him again, but right now it didn't seem like he would listen to her or follow her requests. As long as he got better soon he would bounce right back into his acting, she didn't want him to get depressed.

Maybe she shouldn't tell him yet.

If Kuon was suffering because of something to do with his work or his life then he would tell her eventually, but she didn't want to cause him to hear her amazing news when he was suffering. She didn't want to see him force a smile for her benefit or to tell her that the arrival of their child was a good thing when he felt differently. She could wait for him, but then would he _ever_ be able to tell her.

Kyoko looked around for something that she could do and grinned. She could make a breakfast that Kuon would want to eat and then once he had something delicious in his stomach she would surprise him. She could even make an American style breakfast just like Kuu and Julie had shown her when she visited them. If she cooked everything to perfection then she would be able to see Kuon smile properly.

She couldn't quite place her finger on the last time she saw that smile that made everything else not matter anymore. She hoped it had been more recent than on their honeymoon. She really hoped his smile hadn't disappeared because he regretted marrying her.

Sliding out of bed, Kyoko put on her slippers and went into the kitchen.

Maybe if he wasn't feeling sick he'd be able to be excited and there were several home remedy secrets that she could slip into his food to help him feel better. She grinned as she got out the different pots and pans and found bacon and eggs and toast and even some fruit.

Kyoko wasn't aware of the time that was passing by as she got everything together, she knew that Kuon had a morning interview, but he always took care of getting there himself and it was later in the morning, she didn't have anything until mid day and then her super secret job in the evening that she hadn't ever told her husband about.

She was surprised to see, at quarter to seven, Kuon come out of the room in a suit that screamed more Tsuruga Ren than Hizuri Kuon. Their tastes had subtle differences and she had noticed this with her doll collections. "He-Hey morning" she said as she unexpectedly bowed to her husband.

Kuon laughed weakly as an eyebrow rose, "Mor-morning," he said as he went to get a bottle of water, "Did you just…bow to me?" he asked her.

Kyoko blushed a little bit. "I didn't know you still owned that suit," she said as Kuon stared at her confused. "Well, you…it was one of your suits that you wore before you came out. You said it had gotten small and I said to keep it since well…you didn't used to wear it…he did," she attempted to explain.

Kuon looked around as if trying to figure out why she was acting so strangely, "You do realize that you dated me before I came out to Japan. I said I'd only be your boyfriend if you accepted my secret, but for a long period of time you were going out with Ren Tsuruga."

Kyoko shifted again but bit her tongue. "Anyway," she smiled, "I made breakfast for us," she pointed to a small covered plate that was at Kuon's seat. "I thought it might help you feel better," she grinned.

Kuon looked at her guiltily, "I'm so sorry, I forgot to tell you that I had something come up. I'm sorry," he apologized as he went over to cup her face, "but once we get done with our work tonight I'll take you out to eat something and I promise to eat the leftovers as well."

Kyoko shifted again and then nodded trying to understand and be supportive. "Well then," she said before using a gentlewoman's smile, "Have a good day at work," she said quickly. She was surprised when she was returned with Ren Tsuruga's gentleman smile.

"You too," he said and with an I love you, he left.

Kyoko fidgeted a little and went to the small covered appetizer plate. Under the dome was a small white card where she had written 'Guess what' on the front and inside put 'You're going to be a daddy 3'. Maybe she could give this to him at lunch, she could definitely make some arrangements as his wife.

…..

…..

Kyoko couldn't shift the feeling that her husband had been avoiding her all day. She had seen him walking down the hallway and then turn the other way swiftly, then she had tried to go up to him and he had distracted her with a kiss and disappeared. Well, even though she couldn't sit with him, she was going to make sure he got that card.

"So, this is the one for Kuon, right?" she asked one of the food workers. "Can you make sure he gets this message?" she asked holding the card up.

The woman smiled, "Oh, definitely. Can't resist a cute little love note request," she assured her as she put it on one of the trays.

Kyoko giggled and went away fully trusting the situation.

…..

…..

"Don't tell me that you're skipping lunch again?" Yashiro asked as he saw the actor return from talking with a man on the food staff team. He raised an eyebrow as Kuon sat down. "I thought that after you got married you'd get fed."

Kuon laughed in a way that Ren did before.

"Interesting," Yashiro nodded making a note on the man before him.

"For your information," Kuon said as he used the Ren Tsuruga gentleman's smile again, "Kyoko made a really big American style breakfast," he said honestly. "She's a great cook."

"And I'm thinking you didn't eat a lot of it," Yashiro commented. "I don't think Kyoko would have let you go out without a bite though so it makes sense that you're not hungry now…Ren," he said as Kuon frowned.

"Ren?" he asked. Yashio's eyes moved up and down his client noticing all the small differences.

"I honestly don't know, I mean you've always been good at doing your roles but you seem to be Tsuruga Ren right now, Kuon. You're hiding something and that suit is definitely shouting out that you are, where are the sports coats? The jackets? The silk shirts in those bright colors?"

Kuon shifted, "I just felt like wearing this today, it's not really anything to be hidden up," he tried to smile again only replicating Ren's gentleman smile. "I promise you that I'm not Ren Tsuruga, Ren Tsuruga is in the grave and I am Kuon Hizuri."

Yashiro hummed, "I know you're hiding something. It's okay if you don't want to tell _me_ but I insist that unless she knows, you tell Kyoko at once."

Kuon was about to answer before he heard a commotion from another table. This was where one of the supporting actors, a young seventeen year old newcomer was eating lunch with the friends he'd made.

"I've only been on four dates with her," the teenager said as he held up the card.

"Did you do that with her?" someone from the crew asked as the teen pulled out his phone.

"Congratulations, dad" another actor grinned as the teenager went into shock.

"It was only four dates" he said as he made his way out of the lunch room with the card in hand. "How could she be-"

Kuon looked over and then back at Yashiro before smiling. He gestured back to the table, "It seems that you might have more interesting things to investigate over there. I think that is going to blow up into some kind of scandal, definitely not what you think I'm doing."

Yashiro hummed in disbelief as he continued to watch the actor in front of him. "You're doing such a terrible job hiding it that I'm tempted to give my own NG," he joked.

…..

…..

Kyoko had had to push herself through her work in Kimigure Rock that night. She had always kept it a secret from Kuon that she had had this job as a rooster. She had also agreed to go along with most of the tapings of the show because even if she was a very requested actress now, she loved the feeling of being able to hide in the costume.

Whether it meant that she loved the feeling of acting just for acting's sake or whether she loved the idea of going in secret to talk to Kuon, she wasn't going to decide the main reason for her keeping this job. Tonight though, it was Kuon who was making her worried.

She had wanted him to call her and ask her to explain the card, he knew her handwriting enough to know that she had written it. He hadn't called. Maybe he was regretting his decision to get married to her even more now? What if he was going to Lory right now to find out how to make their marriage disappear without her agreeing to it? Were there ways of him divorcing her without her there?

She felt horrible. She had caused for him to hate her, that must be why Ren was coming back.

She had suspected that Kuon was losing confidence in himself and that Ren had been coming back because Kuon was running away from something terrible. What if it was their marriage that had been the catalyst for all of this and the card had just made things worse?

Those were the thoughts that accompanied her squeaky footsteps down the hall. She froze as she felt an aura that she recognized. That kind of scary depression that told her that the man she loved was falling down into his own psychological tailspin.

She had had a reason for keeping this secret from him.

"Hey! Hizuri" Bo said as he gave a thumbs up to the man sitting before him, "Congratulations. You finally were able to marry your high school girl. Well done. How are the two of you getting along?"

Kuon laughed as his face softened a little, "I'm wondering if I'm making her happy."

"Of course you are," Bo said as he spread his wings wide. "I saw your wedding and I've never seen two people more in love. Are you sitting down here because you did something offensive to her?" Bo laughed. Kyoko kept her eyes open for any movement or shift in Kuon's body or anything he might whisper to himself.

"Why would you be laughing about that?" Kuon asked confused. "That's a little twisted," he shifted a little. "It's…I was told something that I need to tell her and I don't want to."

Kyoko felt her heartbeat quicken. Was there something wrong with her or them? Was there someone wanting to hurt them? Was something going on with her jobs that she didn't know about but perhaps Yashiro and Kuon did.

"Well, you've told me a lot of things in the past. Maybe I can help you out here?" Bo said, "unless you're shy."

Kyoko froze again as she saw the flash of the gentleman's smile, "Not at all, but if she heard it another way I wouldn't feel right about it. I don't want to tell anyone before her, I'm sorry."

"Okay, I get it, then you should figure out a way to tell her," Bo nodded. "I mean, if it's something sweet you could find a romantic way of telling her and if it's something mean you could find a way to apologize to her, so many different ways of doing that."

"Cancer," Kuon said as his eyes flickered up at Bo.

Kyoko blinked, she certainly hadn't heard that correctly. She needed to know that the word he had just said wasn't the one she had heard. Her mind flashed through how sick he'd been and how he'd gone back to the doctors when he usually wouldn't. No! It had to be something else, anything else.

"Canned Pears?" she asked as Bo put on his 'Western accent'.

"No. How do I tell my wife that I have cancer?" he asked as he looked at Bo.

Kyoko felt her body pale and a cold chill sweep through her veins. How could Kyoko Hizuri pretend that she hadn't just heard her husband say that? How could she tell him about there being a new life when he was fighting for his own?

"You…have cancer?" Bo asked slowly. Seeing Kuon's expression, Kyoko broke inside. "You need to tell your wife."

Kuon nodded in a way that made Kyoko believe that he wouldn't, at least not tonight.


	5. Chapter 4 - Reveal

**Chapter Four – Reveal**

After what she had just heard, Kyoko knew that she had two options. She could either confront Kuon and reveal the fact that she was Bo and had been Bo for this long stretch of time, or she could lie and try to make him talk whilst hiding her emotions. She had had to make this decision in the past and – of course – she had always chosen Bo, but it wasn't like this.

Maybe if she went home, he would tell her in a couple of days and they would find out that the tests were false or maybe he would find out that the testing had been mislabeled and he would never tell her. Ignoring the fact that he was sick was something she would judge him on, but as long as he was better then maybe it would be best to think that nothing had ever happened.

She just knew that right now she needed to be at home first.

That was why she managed to rent a bike from the studio and zoom off instead of waiting for her own manager to meet her. She had channeled her fear and frustration into riding the bike, not thinking about the baby she had inside of her that needed protection.

As she pushed her back to the wall and tried to stop herself from vomiting, she looked around their apartment.

It had taken her some time to imagine that this was her place with Kuon instead of just Ren Tsuruga's apartment. It had taken some strength to feel that she wasn't a guest and in fact that she had this special place with Corn. Suddenly she was starting to feel the same as she did back then, out of place and insecure.

She threw up, managing to puke into the sink of the kitchen.

Hearing footsteps, she quickly ran the water to try to get rid of it. He didn't need to be bothered by the fact that she felt ill. He had to be concerned about himself.

"Hey," she smiled as he came in. "How was your day, Kuon?" she said trying to grin. She wondered if he would see through her acting.

As Kuon stood there just looking at her, Kyoko had to kick herself to stop from thinking about the fact that he was _that_ ill. She had to stop worrying about seeing him in a coffin. She had to stop thinking about him slipping away from her. From the way that he had looked at Bo it seemed apparent that he wasn't going to tell her just yet.

She needed to keep Bo private, if only for a little longer. It was one of the only ways she could extract the truth from her husband.

"Kyoko," he said as he came in not removing his shoes or jacket. She blinked, was he going straight out again? Was he going to run away from the illness by running away from the person who fell in love with him day after day?

"Yes, Kuon" Kyoko placed a hand on her upper arm as she shivered.

"I need to talk to you about something," Kuon said as he took a step towards her. "I don't want to hurt you, but…"

"please don't leave." Kyoko whispered as she walked forwards and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Please don't leave, Corn," she sobbed. "I know you get scared and you don't like me seeing that part of you, but it's better for me that I have you…any of you. You can be Ren or Kuon or anyone, I'm always going to love you."

"I won't leave then," he said as he ran his fingers through her hair trying to comfort her. "Kyoko, princess, can you look at me?"

Kyoko took a sharp inhale and nodded. She didn't want to show any pain in her eyes, she just needed Kuon to see things as natural. She needed for him to not know that she knew.

She wasn't expecting the next words, Bo hadn't expected them either.

"Kyoko," he said as he looked at her terrified, she felt her heart break as she saw him this way. He was usually so strong, so sweet and gentle, not like this. "Yesterday when I went to the doctor he said something to me."

"He gave you some medication?" Kyoko attempted to act innocently as she closed the door so nobody could dare to get this information unofficially.

"Something like that," Kuon said as Kyoko helped him take his jacket off. After his jacket was off, Kuon took off his shoes as if following the chain of actions.

Kyoko looked at him as he sat down and followed him, she sat opposite him to slowly and calmly let him speak. It was better if she didn't prod, she had learned that from experience.

"Kyoko, the doctor told me I have stomach cancer, they think it's stage three," he said.

Kyoko blinked. She felt her body break again but this time it shattered completely. She had thought after hearing Kuon admit it once that she would be ready to handle it, but seeing him in front of her so vulnerable made the pain hurt worse. She didn't want to lose him. She stood whilst trembling and took a few steps towards him. She knelt onto the ground and wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself close to his body.

"You can cry," she whispered before feeling his whole body shake. She held him as close as possible, wanting to protect him. "I love you, Kuon," she said with a weak smile. She placed a hand on his cheek and turned his head towards her. She kissed him very deeply and passionately on the lips and then drew back.

She felt him pull her closer and closed her eyes, she needed to know that right now her husband was holding her and keeping her safe. She had to remember this feeling in case the worst happened, in case she _couldn't_ feel him do this again.

"Thank you for telling me," she said as he finally stopped holding her as close to him.

Kyoko grinned at her husband despite all the pain sweeping through her. "You know, I've always said you're inhumanly strong so you'll find a way of beating this. You've beaten everything else that has come along, you can do this and even though I can't physically fight it with you I'll be your cheerleader."

Kuon ran a hand through his hair and nodded, "thank you," he smiled to her.

Kyoko grinned and hugged him again before picking up a notebook from a nearby desk. "So, did the doctor tell you what the first thing you need to do right now is?" she asked trying to hide her fear and heartbreak with some hard work ethic.

"To avoid stressful situations, so I might need to step back from acting because of it," Kuon commented. "The doctor said that some of the biggest stressors are starting a new job, going through a breakup or divorce, moving to a new country or city"

"and with the exception of your jobs, we're not doing any of those," Kyoko grinned. Maybe it would be easier than she thought to calm down her husband. If he was calm then the doctor would find it easier to work on his body and make it better.

"also, having a new addition to the family," he said before sighing, "I hope I can beat this," he said nervously. "I know you want kids."

"Uh," Kyoko nodded, "yeah…I can't remember what I said about kids," she said taking a couple of steps backwards. Hadn't he gotten her note? Where on earth had her card for him ended up. "Did you eat lunch today?" she asked nervously.

Kuon sighed and bowed his head, "before you lecture me," he said with a dark aura around him, "can I just remind you that I admitted to having stomach cancer so no I didn't really eat."

Kyoko looked down. So he hadn't received her note which meant that he didn't know. She didn't want to tell him right now, he had just admitted to something gigantic and she wanted to support him. She shouldn't throw her news in his face and she was really praying that the baby was still okay inside of her. She closed her eyes and imagined a warm blanket inside of her provided by the angel Kyoko's her husband had helped restore.

"Okay. Well we'll just have to find out some good food which you can eat," she nodded. "I'm going to be the best cheerleader that you've ever had, Kuon and first we need to…"

"go to bed," Kuon said as he kissed the top of her head. "Unless you want to stay up for some reason,"

"First, we'll go to bed," Kyoko agreed as she stood up looking confident enough to take on the world.

….

….

Kyoko looked between the three men in the head office with her. On one side there was Yashiro who was looking a little more suspiciously at Kuon than he usually did. Then there was President Takarada in his Egyptian pharaoh garb and then next to her was Kuon who was in jeans and a white shirt with a black leather jacket on.

The last words spoken were, "I need to step back from acting for a while."

These were followed quickly by both of the two other men asking why only for it to go silent.

That felt like an eternity ago.

"Well, I don't mind you putting it on pause if you finish up all your commitments," Lory said, "it would definitely make the public want you more when you did come back and taking a break to do other things might enrich you as an actor. I do say that you need to finish up the jobs you've chosen, I don't encourage people to go back on their word and I won't help you do so."

Kyoko shifted nervously, "If Kuon needs to take some time away aren't there other actors who you could put in his place? I mean, if it's a really serious matter then…"

"You must see how this looks Kyoko and how such an unprofessional attitude can completely damage Kuon's reputation in both career and personal ways. You need to tell him that he has to honor the contracts that he signed," Yashiro tried to persuade Kyoko. "He listens to you."

"I'm not going to tell my husband to do that," Kyoko replied, "I mean, I know that when I talk to him, Kuon seems to listen more, but Kuon needs to take some time off. There have to be things in the contracts that says if he is unable to perform for certain reasons it's okay."

"What kind of reasons though?" Yashiro asked, "What kind of reason does not make this a tarnish on his acting record?"

Kyoko paled. She looked at Kuon and squeezed his hand, she had wanted to yell at both of the other men and tell them about Kuon's condition and how could they claim to care for him and yet not help him when he needed them. She felt like her body was getting ripped apart and she just needed them to approach this topic with more sensitivity. Of course he wouldn't let his work fade to nothing but how could he face the topic.

"Kuon…" Kyoko said as she squeezed his hand before hearing his steady voice.

"I need to take some time off of acting because at my last doctor's appointment, I was diagnosed with stomach cancer stage three"

Kuon's voice was heavy and serious as he said that and Kyoko felt that rip against her heart as well. She looked at both men who were staring wide eyed at the actor, she saw Yashiro quickly push the cup of tea he had onto the table whilst Lory dropped his on the floor, his mouth showing his shock.

"I am…so sorry, Kuon" Lory said too shocked to have more of a reaction.

"Well, the contracts do state that if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness, you can get out without having to owe them money for breach of contract," Yashiro said, "but it's not something that I ever felt that you'd have to use."

"See, it's not Kuon's fault. He'd be acting if he could, it's just that we discussed this and we both want to concentrate on Kuon getting better," Kyoko tried to stress as Kuon just watched her.

"Have you told your father?" Lory asked and saw Kuon and Kyoko exchange a look. "I'd do that before the media even gets a chance to hear of this. I'll arrange you a trip to LA, I assume you want to go with him, Kyoko."

"Yes!" Kyoko sat up attentively, "Yes. I'll go with Kuon to America, I think that seeing Kuu and Julie would be good for both of us."

"And you'd want to do it during the first trimester I'm assuming," Lory said as Kuon blinked

"Trimester?" Kuon asked confused, he looked at them and shrugged, "I don't think they calculate it like that, but yes, I'd like to go to America before I start chemotherapy," he tried to explain. Yashiro however was looking at a bright red Kyoko.

"Oh, was that note for Kuon, Kyoko?" Yashiro asked before seeing Kuon looking off into space. Hadn't he just heard the confession?

Kyoko looked in front of her, _how on earth did he know that?_


	6. Chapter 5 - Coming Home

**Chapter Five – Coming Home**

Kuon smiled as he wheeled the luggage for him and his wife out of the arrival gate. He had picked up one of the large carts and had been pushing It whilst Kyoko had her hand on top of his. Since they were going for three weeks, there was a lot of luggage. Seeing his enthusiastic parents, Kuon grinned and watched as Kyoko ran ahead and found herself in Julie's loving arms.

"Kyoko!" Julie called out as she wrapped her arms around her new daughter, "It's so good to see the two of you."

"It's so good to see you too, mom" she smiled happily before looking around, "Father?" she asked. He had been standing right next to Julie a second ago. She spun around to see him with Kuon.

"Come on, how many times a year do I get to see my biological son?" Kuu argued, "Let me just wheel this for you, Kuon"

"And how many times do I have to tell you that I can do it myself?" Kuon asked. "Dad, I'm fine," he smiled, "I've got a handle on this."

"Julie," Kuu pouted, "Kuon isn't letting me take the luggage, you think I should do it, right?"

"Hey," Kuon's eyes widened, "Dad, it's fine. I have it under control. Don't get other people into this, if you just let me do it people wouldn't be staring."

"They're staring because you're a famous actor and model, honey!" Julie smiled brightly. "Just let your father do it"

"Kuon," Kyoko said, "Maybe let Kuu do it," she said nervously worried that something might trigger his stomach to hurt or his condition to worsen. She knew she couldn't mention anything to do with that before they told his parents, but she was still very much concerned about it.

"You're against me too?" Kuon asked with a light grin, "I guess if there's three against one, I'll let you do it," he said before going over to take Kyoko's hand. He smiled before closing his eyes as Kuu had his energetic smile over doing something to help his son. "At least he's happy," he smiled to Kyoko as he ran his thumb in small circles over the back of her hand.

"So," Julie smiled at the two of them, "You'll have to tell me all about your honeymoon. The wedding was gorgeous, please tell me you have the album you promised me you'd give me."

Kyoko nodded, "Yes, of course." She looked at Kuon, "We had all three of them priority made, but why did you want three of them?"

Kuon bowed his head and shook it with a grin. He knew his parents wanted one each and then one to share. He knew that his father was probably telling all of his colleagues and friends how proud he was that Kuon was married and had given such beautiful vows and his mother was desperately waiting to show off how gorgeous she thought both he and Kyoko were at their wedding. It was having overly doting parents that Kuon was relieved were back in his life again.

"They just want three of them," Kuon replied to her before pulling her into his arms. "I've learned never to try to justify some of the things that my parents do." He kissed her gently causing her to blush a little.

"Oh! That reminds me!" Julie said as they turned to the direction of the parking lot, "I found another album of pictures of Kuon, I thought you might really like this one." Julie slipped a picture out of her bag and handed it to Kyoko. It was a picture of a happy ten-year old Kuon taken on their trip to Japan.

Kyoko squealed as she saw it and stopped, she looked at it with an ever widening smile, "Oh my god! It's Corn!" she said excitedly. "Look, it's Corn, Kuon" she showed him as he nodded slowly with a playful smile. He had come to accept how Kyoko reacted to pictures of his younger self.

"That's…" Julie said, "you do know that's…" she started unable to complete the sentence.

"She knows," Kuon nodded trying to reassure his parents. He looked at his wife who was entering her fantasy land again.

"It's been so long since I've seen Corn," she giggled. "I'm so glad to see him smile here. Can I get a copy of this, I really need to see Corn more," she repeated as Kuu glanced between Kuon and Kyoko. Julie looked at her son for a while and then at Kyoko. Both of them were surprised when Kuon held up a hand to gesture for them to stop worrying and mouthed the words 'It's okay'.

"I mean," Kyoko grinned up at Kuon as she held the picture up, "when I hold this picture next to you, I can tell it's you but sometimes I just remember you as…"

"Ren Tsuruga," Kuon said as he placed a hand on her cheek, "It's alright. That's the me you met the second time. It doesn't matter who you see me as as long as that person is allowed to be the man you married," he told her as Kyoko blushed again.

"I am so happy that I was able to marry my Corn," she stated and Kuon grinned.

"and I'm so happy that I was able to marry my princess Kyoko."

….

….

Kyoko felt the tension as they got into the Hizuri home. She could feel on the car ride home that Kuon was struggling to find the right words to say to his parents and although she wanted to help him, right now she didn't know what was going through his head.

She was so good at reading him usually, but dealing with something this gigantic made her lose sight of him a little. She was scared for him, she was afraid that he wouldn't be able to beat this but she refused to admit those words aloud. Kuon would beat this and they would live happily ever after. That was how fairytales ended.

"Before we do anything else, I need to tell you two something," he said slowly.

Kuu looked up at him slowly and nodded. Julie put a hand on her chest as if expecting him to tell them that he was going away again and this time he was not going to come back.

"What is it?" Kuu dared to ask first. He knew the look in his son's eyes and he was scared that something had happened to pull their family apart again. He didn't want that to be true, he had just had his son return a couple of years ago. It was too short a period for him to be leaving again.

"Can we sit down?" Kuon asked nervously as both of the Hizuri parents looked at Kyoko.

"Do you know what this is about?" Julie asked nervously as Kyoko looked up into Kuon's eyes. She took Julie's hand and pulled her towards their living room. She felt bad doing this to a woman she loved and respected so much, but this was Kuon's private information to share.

Kuu slowly took a seat next to Julie and held her hand to support her. "I refuse to have you leave," he said to his son as Kuon took a deep breath in.

"The reason I wanted to visit you," he said slowly. He felt his heartbeat in his chest and tried to calm himself so he could hear a relaxed beating. He had to be ready for whatever happened next. "Is because I've been diagnosed with stomach cancer."

Kyoko nodded as she watched Kuon and looked back to see Julie in tears and Kuu staring as if he'd just seen his son transform into a beetle.

"You what?" he asked in disbelief.

"This isn't funny" Julie said with tears in her eyes, "Kuon. Don't joke around like this, it's not fair, it isn't funny," she said as she tried to stop the tears that were falling down her face.

Kuon took another breath in before going to his carryon. He pulled out a file with a copy of the test results and diagnosis in there and handed it to his parents. "I'm not lying. I'm really sorry," he apologized. He saw his dad try reading over the information several times in case it was a joke and he felt his heart break as his mother fled from the room after breaking down.

"I…" Kuu said seeing how distraught his son was, "I…" he stood up and took shaky steps towards his son before throwing his arms around him. "We'll beat this. I'll do anything I can, we'll beat this," he said as he pulled his son in closer. Kyoko saw Kuu look at her. "We'll beat this right, Kyoko?" he asked as if looking at her for hope and support.

Kyoko nodded quickly. "Yes, we'll beat it," she said. She wasn't willing to talk about the chances that Kuon couldn't survive this. She wouldn't dare go against Kuon or disappoint Kuu further. Kuon was already having a hard enough time with this. She had already seen him sad and depressed on different occasions but already he had been fighting hard to cope with this news.

She put a hand on her stomach thinking of the baby that was already growing inside of her.

Maybe it would be best if she were to tell him soon. Maybe that would give him something else to fight for, hopefully he wouldn't be disappointed with the news. She didn't want to burden him with the idea that there was someone else who needed him to survive.

She hoped Julie would return soon, they needed her support during this time.

….

….

It had been a harder day than Kyoko had hoped for. Kuu was frantically trying to pull up every single article and medical journal he could about stomach cancer and Julie had taken to her bed afraid that the world was trying to take away her baby. Even though Kuon had tried to comfort both of them, it seemed that what they needed was time.

It was very hard for her husband.

Kyoko thought for a moment about what was going on whilst sitting on the guest bed. She was wearing a pink and white silk nightgown with some lace on it, the type of thing a princess might wear. She usually felt special in this outfit, but right now she was more anxious than anything else.

She smiled as she saw her husband exit from the adjoined bathroom in just black pajama pants. She liked looking at his chest normally, but right now, knowing how sick he was, she wished he would put on a shirt.

"Kuon," she said awkwardly as he looked at her.

She wanted to tell him about the baby, their baby. She wanted to share that news but she wasn't sure how. Instead she picked up a shirt that she had taken out from the clothes he had put away and tossed it at him. She pouted as she looked down. How could she be so childish and afraid when he was being so brave.

She waited until he had his shirt on and then looked up, "Kuon, I need to tell you something."

She heard him hum and come over to her. She looked up at him as he ran a hand through her hair and then let his hands fall onto her shoulders. He knelt down before her so that the two of them could make proper eye contact.

"You know that you can tell me anything," he said before kissing her, as he drew back he saw the tears in her eyes. "What is it?" he asked, "What's wrong?"

Kyoko shivered, "I…want to tell you but it's really hard for me," she tried to explain.

"Okay," he nodded as he looked at her with such warmth and understanding in his eyes. "Well, why don't you tell me it at your own pace and I'll just sit here and listen. I can be here all night if you want," he tried to assure her, his voice so sweet and kind, so gentle.

"Kuon, you are a really good person," she whispered, "You are so different from any other man I've met, you're so giving and strong and you're so sweet and kind and you make me feel safe and…"

"and…" he asked not trying to push her to say anything but wanting to create a safe space for her to talk and say whatever she needed to say.

"I'm pregnant," Kyoko whispered.


	7. Chapter 6 - Good News for Once

**Chapter Six – Good News for Once**

"I'm pregnant," Kyoko whispered.

She took a few nervous breaths and had immediately closed her eyes, she heard Kuon's soft voice as she sat there. She was a little scared to see his reaction, would he be angry and upset about this. Would the stress of the news be enough to set him off?

"Did you just…say?" Kuon asked and Kyoko nodded.

She heard Kuon's laugh, which was always something special for her to hear. She opened her eyes only to be caught by his radiant and blinding smile and his hopeful eyes. She laughed as she noticed once again that when he smiled like this, the blond hair seemed to glow. That was some kind of magic that she had learned he had inside.

"Are you okay?" Kyoko laughed softly, "Warn me before you smile like that," she teased.

"How can I not smile like this?" he asked, "That's amazing," he said as she saw his happiness light up the room around them. "Kyoko, were you scared I'd be upset. I'm so happy right now," he told her. "I mean, you're happy too, right?" he asked

Kyoko nodded, "Yes….and yes, I was scared. I mean you're going through your own problems right now. You have to take care of yourself, what if this is…"

"I love you." Kyoko nodded as she heard Kuon say that and she listened to him, looking into his eyes to really make sure she had his emotion and reaction correct. "I'm going to have to fight even harder now. I really want to meet them, I'm really very happy right now."

"Really?" Kyoko asked as her grin increased and she wrapped her arms around her husband. "You're not teasing or toying with me, right?" she said as she buried her face into his broad shoulder.

Kuon wrapped his arms around his wife and kept her close. "Of course not. I get to have a child with the wonderful woman that I love. We get to raise a little boy or little girl into a wonderful human being. There is going to be a life out there who has half their genetics from me and half from you. How could that not be a wonderful thing?"

"You'll fight, right? You'll fight to be their father, they need a father," she worried. She hated to say that to him, maybe it would mean that he wouldn't be excited anymore because she was saying that there was a chance that he could die.

"I want to be a family so however I can make that happen, I will do exactly that, I promise you," the blond grinned before sitting on the bed next to his wife. "You are always full of happy surprises, you're incredible, you know."

"I hope…" Kyoko said nervously, "I hope they have your legs," she teased before he grinned back at her.

"Well, I hope they have your heart."

….

….

Kyoko stretched out in the bed only to find that she was there alone. In her head she knew that Kuon was probably alright, that he had just woken from the bed and gotten up a few minutes or maybe a little less than an hour ago, but her heart yearned for him. She felt weird without him beside her. With all of her fear building around the idea that she could possibly lose him, without him there it felt like she might have already done so.

She looked over at the alarm clock and her eyes widened, 2:16 PM, it was that late already. She'd definitely have to apologize to everyone for waking up so late and perhaps inconveniencing them.

How long had Kuon been up?

She quickly got changed into one of the cute dresses she had bought with her latest acting project paycheck and hurried out into the living room. She was surprised to see Kuon reading over a book whilst sitting on the sofa and for Kuu to be looking over his latest script. Kuon smiled as she came out of the room.

"Hey, we were wondering when you'd be up," he grinned, "Sleep well?"

Kyoko stared at him in shock before dropping down to a low bow, "I am really really sorry," she said quickly, "I didn't mean to sleep so late, I must have really inconvenienced you."

Kuon stood quickly as Kuu blinked. "It's fine," he grinned, "You're not used to the time difference, it's six in Tokyo right now so your body is running on Japanese time, you'll get used to it."

Kyoko frowned, "Well, shouldn't you be used to it?" she argued, "You need your rest too, Kuon."

Kuon shrugged and looked away, "I'm an American," he stated as if that was the reason for everything. He had learned how to train his body against jet lag since he had done so many international shoots and he had gone overseas many more times than Kyoko had. Therefore, his reason of being American was not correct and Kyoko knew it.

Before she could make a reply to Kuon, Kuu was grinning at her. "Don't worry," he said watching her, "You haven't inconvenienced anyone, in fact, Julie and I have been looking over recipes that can help when you're going through chemotherapy."

"Which, I am not just yet," Kuon tried to remind his dad.

"Well, we were also looking up the type of food which someone can eat with stomach cancer. It's meant that we really haven't eaten very much yet, but we did find a few recipes so Julie went to get the groceries. She'll be back soon and then she and I will make it together," Kuu said with a smile. "Doing that has really helped motivate her."

Kyoko nodded softly, "Okay, I'd love to help," she said before going to hug her husband and sit down next to him. "I am really sorry that I wasn't awake earlier, I'd have liked to have helped you, father." She felt Kuon kiss her once she had said that word. "We have some news for you but we'd really like to tell you when Julie gets back."

The tension turned harsh in the room and Kyoko looked at the horrified expression on Kuu's face. She didn't really know what to do as he looked at Kuon and started turning paler.

"There's something else?" he asked. "Son, you have to tell me if something bad is going on," he said as he stared at Kuon as if his son had revealed he was a ghost the whole time.

"Oh, it's good news," Kyoko said quickly. "Really good, sorry to worry you father. I promise it's good news," she said nervously. She hated seeing Kuu this worried. She hated doing any kind of harm to this family, her family.

Kuon nodded, "It's good news," he tried to assure his father. He handed Kyoko a stack of books, "Dad went out earlier to get us these," he tried to tell his wife. The three books were all about taking care of someone with stomach cancers or stomach problems in general with one of them being a cookbook with different recipes in.

Kyoko grinned before bowing again whilst she was sitting down, "Thank you so much," she said trying to blink away the tears that were filling her eyes. "Thank you," she repeated before sitting up. Nervously Kuon put his hand on his wife's stomach and looked at her protectively.

As they shared a look that the baby was alright, they heard Kuu gasp.

He pointed between the two of them with a grin growing on his face, "Kyoko are you…are you two…"

Kuon couldn't help the smile on his face, "I'd really like to wait until mom is here to tell you. It would be unfair to make it official without her here."

Kuu started to laugh as he sat there, "You can tell me, I'll fill her in when she gets home. Are you telling me that I'm going to be a granddad?" he asked as Kuon looked down and laughed, Kyoko blushed and kissed Kuon's cheek.

"We should _really_ wait until mom's here to tell you," Kuon tried to hide the fact but both of the couple's body was already revealing the surprise despite wanting to hold back.

"Tell me what?" Julie asked as she stood by the doorway with two huge bags of groceries, she set them on the floor. "If there is something wrong I'm…" she looked at the huge smiles on the faces of all three of her loved ones before Kuon nodded.

"Yes, Kyoko is pregnant," he said as he pulled her in close.

Julie felt the happy tears trickle down her cheeks as she put the groceries down and ran over to the two of them. "This isn't a joke, right? You're being completely serious, aren't you?"

"I'm going to have a baby," Kyoko nodded. "I thought that I never wanted children, but the truth is I'm really happy because I'm having Kuon's child. I have someone who loves me and wants to raise a little boy or girl with me. I mean, I know that he's sick right now, but I think…I think we'll make it."

"And if the worst happens," Julie said as she put everyone back on edge, "There will always be a remainder of Kuon for us."

Kyoko nodded before looking at her husband, oh god, that gentleman smile had come back again?

….

….

Kyoko had had a really good day, in fact right now she didn't want there to be any other surprises happening that might ruin the day. When Kuon had asked her if they could take a walk however, she had felt something sink in her gut. She didn't really know how to approach the situation other than to say yes to the man that she loved.

She had put on some cute jeans and a t-shirt with a nice warm jacket and Kuon was wearing a red turtleneck with the jeans she loved most on him and a designer leather jacket. She felt something was wrong with her husband, he was being too distant for her liking.

"I think I'm going to call Lory," he told her as she nodded, "I need to take a break from acting, at least until the cancer is in remission."

"That's a good plan," she nodded, "very thoughtful. I'll make sure to do my best to make sure you have everything you need in place. I could always take some time off as well…"

"No," Kuon replied immediately as she turned to look at him surprised.

"But I…" Kyoko whispered, "It doesn't make much sense that you take time off and I don't, especially since I'll start showing in…"

"more months than I will," Kuon said as he stopped and they looked out at the beach. "I need you to go back to Japan at the end of our trip, but I don't think I'm…"

Kyoko glared at him sharply, she reached out to put a hand on his arm and shook her head. Was he actually saying that he'd leave her alone when she was pregnant? He was her support, didn't he realize that already? Was it that difficult for him to accept?

"I'm not going back there without you, you idiot" she said as she looked down.

Maybe she was going to be a terrible mother, maybe she was already a terrible wife. Why else would her husband who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness be telling her, his wife who was pregnant, that they needed to be separated.

"Kyoko," Kuon said as he looked into her eyes, "You know how much I love you. One of the best doctors for stomach cancer is in New York and my father already owns property over there," he attempted to explain.

"Then I'll go with you to New York. Aren't there things that I can act in New York, I mean it will probably be hard but I've got credits, I can do auditions. I speak perfect English," she tried to remind him. Whatever happened she didn't want to lose him.

"Your career is in Japan," Kuon said to her again, "I'll be back in Japan as soon as I can, but you've got jobs as an actress you have to fulfill. I'm not going to let you lose the status of your career because of me. I don't want you to have to start over again."

"You're saying that I should prioritize my career over you," Kyoko shook her head quickly, "I can't do that. I'm sorry, I can't use that as a reason for why I shouldn't be by your side as much as possible right now."

"I am asking you to continue for the sake of your career," he tried to say.

From the way he was looking at her, Kyoko knew that he was concerned about her and was doing this out of love. He wanted the best for her and her dreams, but she wanted the best for him. Surely separation wasn't going to do that.

"Who's asking that?" she argued, "because that sure sounds like Ren Tsuruga instead of _my_ Kuon Hizuri."


	8. Chapter 7 - Going Away, why is it sad?

**Author Note:** First, thank you so much for all of your support for this story it means a lot. Secondly, thank you Shizuhoe for letting me know about the embarrassing typo in this chapter :) I've been under a lot of stress recently and I guess I typed it without meaning to.

 **Chapter Seven – Going Away, Why is it Sad**

Kuon nervously watched his wife as she looked over a script from an old shoot she had brought with her. He knew that she liked getting into character when dealing with something like this, he just hated that it was because of him she was shutting herself off from everyone else. He looked down as he made his way over to where his parents were in the dining room. He stood there shakily, "Do you two have a moment?" he asked as they both turned to him.

"Of course, son" Kuu nodded as Juli looked at him apprehensively.

"I refuse to let you go just yet, you promised me three weeks," she said quickly. "Kuon, you keep coming up with things that…"

"Juli," Kuu said quietly before nodding, "We're listening, Kuon," he tried to assure his son.

"I wanted to ask you two for a favor," he said, "it is presumably a huge inconvenience for you two, so please feel free to say no immediately. I know that you have your lives here, I know that you are happy with how things have been going and it is extremely selfish of me to ask for such a thing. It is extremely selfish because of what you gave up for me when I was fifteen years old."

"Well, I want to know what it is" Juli demanded. "I refuse to not care about my son, _especially_ when he's going through this cancer with a baby on the way. I can say no all I want," she argued as Kuon paused and looked down.

"I've decided to go to a hospital in New York to receive treatment, I'm still an American citizen and a Japanese national," he felt bad that he wasn't a full Japanese citizen yet. It made the most sense for him to become a Japanese citizen and surrender his American citizenship, but for some reason he had been scared to do so, "I feel I can afford the cost of the treatment and hopefully when it is at a safe stage to go back to Japan to finish treatment there. However, I don't think that Kyoko should go with me."

"I see," Kuu nodded as he thought about how his daughter in law must be feeling. To not be allowed to accompany somebody that she loved through a hard illness was almost as if someone had prepared for her to be executed. He knew, from the removal of his son from his life for such a long time, how it must feel like.

"I wanted to ask you for your support. I feel like I'd be fine doing the treatment myself, but I'd like you two to help Kyoko in my place," he said awkwardly. "Kyoko knows a lot of people in the acting community, but none of her closest friends have ever been pregnant. She even stayed with a couple that were childless so the idea of pregnancy isn't one she knows well. However, you," he turned to Juli, "you were pregnant and I want to know that you can help her through this. She'll be stubborn and want to do it herself, but if you could make trips back to Japan and…maybe some Skype calls," he said.

Juli looked at him, "I…I'm thrilled to help Kyoko, but Kuon…I don't want you to be alone. You're not honest with people, if I can't see you then how will I know that you're doing alright. How can I make sure that, if you're alone, you're not dead."

Kuu thought deeply about this and closed his eyes. If he said no to Kuon then that wouldn't mean that Kuon and Kyoko would be together, his son's mind seemed to be made up on the fact that they wouldn't be together. As foolish as his son was being, he was also headstrong and stubborn. If they didn't agree to it, then Kuon would probably leave in the middle of the night and make things worse. If he said yes though, that was allowing Kuon to be alone in New York with a terminal illness. Somebody needed to take care of him even if it wasn't his wife.

"I need Juli's support on this," Kuu said as he looked up at his son. His concern was showing but also his resolute feeling on the matter. "We'll do it on one condition. I can understand that you want Kyoko to finish her projects and are worried about the pregnancy, but she must be terrified of losing you. We all know that you like to keep things hidden and try to take care of things yourself even if you shouldn't. I do not agree to let you go to New York alone."

"I don't see how Kyo-" Kuon started but was caught off guard by his dad's eye roll and sigh.

"I'm not saying that you should take Kyoko," he said. "I'm saying that the only way we'll agree to this is if I come in her place." Kuu looked at the expression of surprise and confusion that fell upon Kuon's face. "You need somebody to take care of you because you sometimes fail to take care of yourself. If you don't want your wife there then I'm going as long as Juli is okay with that."

"That's good," Juli nodded, "If your father is with you then I know you'll be alright. I know you'll be safe."

Kuon stared at them before sighing, "Those are your terms?" he asked, "Are they negotiable?"

Kuu shook his head, "Not really," he said. "Don't forget what I told you when you were Ren Tsuruga, I still love my son. I will always love my son no matter how the world sees him."

Kuon sighed before nodding. "Deal," he said before looking at them again and gave a weak smile, "Thank you." He turned back to the bedroom and wondered if Kyoko would talk to him again.

….

….

 _"Who's asking that?" Kyoko argued, "because that sure sounds like Ren Tsuruga instead of_ _my_ _Kuon Hizuri."_

 _Kuon looked at her, "Does it matter?" he asked, "I'm not trying to sound harsh, but you agree to act in some projects and if you break those contracts," he told her. He put a hand to her cheek and she flinched away. "You know I love you. I don't know who it is who said those words, but I think it's me saying them instead of Ren. Ren would probably be saying them more out of professionalism, I'm saying them because I love you. I love you and I want to protect your dreams."_

" _How is this protecting me?" Kyoko argued back at him, "I told you that you're more important than the other things in my life, Kuon. I told you that my dreams, my career, I can get that back. If you were to die then I couldn't get_ _ **you**_ _back."_

" _I'm planning on fighting and winning," Kuon said to her with the same confidence as he had when getting to the best part of his scenes. "I just want you to not miss out on anything because of this. I'll promise that I'll be okay, I have to take good care of myself, right, for the baby."_

" _If, and this is only if, Kuon. If I decided that to go back, I'm not taking any new roles. I will finish what I promised to do and follow your superior professional work ethic, but as soon as I'm done, I'm going to New York and at that time you are not allowed to argue with me."_

" _By that time, I will be back in Japan," Kuon argued with her._

 _Kyoko raised an eyebrow knowing that it might take two years or longer for Kuon to beat this, "Uh huh," she said as she detected his lies. "Well let's say this. I will consider going back to Japan but only if you promise that after my roles are done I can be wherever you are."_

" _Even into outer space," Kuon argued playfully causing her to smile._

" _Even into outer space where you eat roasted frogs, yes," she said before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and using those as support to get to his lips. Kuon immediately lifted her as he had his arms around her. "I love you," she said. "You have no idea how much I'm going to miss you if I agree to this."_

" _I know," Kuon nodded, "because I'm sure it's the same as how much I'm going to miss you."_

….

….

"So," Kyoko looked up as Kuon entered the room. "You asked your parents to take your side and persuade me to go back to Japan alone," she said as she saw his rather confused but guilty expression. "I'm annoyed at you, but I understand," she commented. "You didn't become a first rate actor by just letting anything personal stand in the way of your roles. You are really the best Japanese actor that…"

"an American can be?" he asked with a tired expression. "I'll tell you that it didn't turn out how I was planning, but maybe it's for the best this way."

"So, they convinced you to let me come?" Kyoko asked hopefully. Maybe this way the president would be able to say that her pregnancy was a reason that she didn't have to complete the roles that she had accepted. Maybe they had talked sense into Kuon.

"No," he said as her hope shattered. "However, they told me that the only way they'd agree to this is if my dad came in your place and I have the feeling that my mother wouldn't want to be alone so she might go to Japan with you, if you're alright with her doing so."

"Well, I'm alright with Juli coming to Japan, but I still would want to be with you," Kyoko said honestly. "Father really said that he'd follow you to New York. He promised to do that?" she said looking at her husband nervously as he laughed.

Kuon put a hand to the back of his neck and sighed weakly, "Yes. My father is going to make sure that I take care of myself. I saw the look in his eyes, it proves that he's going to do it. How long do you think that your roles in Japan will take?" he asked as he reached out to hold her hand. She smiled and led him to sit back on the bed.

"So, are you saying you want me to join you two in New York?" she asked trying not to show her pleasure at how the worst wasn't happening just yet.

"Of course, but first I need you to do these roles," he said as he placed a gentle hand on her stomach. "I need the two of you to be with me but only once you've finished with your acting commitments."

"It shouldn't take longer than three months," Kyoko said thoughtfully, "I can still fly during that time. I might have to have the baby be born in a hospital in New York, but I don't mind that. Of course, the person who I fell in love with, married, and now am unable to live without is an American citizen. I think Shou's parents would be disappointed in me for marrying a foreigner," she laughed.

"Wouldn't they be disappointed in you for marrying anyone other than that jackass?" Kuon commented. He pulled his wife close to his chest and almost onto his lap. "Thank you for understanding what I'm trying to make happen," he said as he kissed her cheek and then trailed his nose down her neck. She felt his breath on her skin and blushed. "You're perfect," he told her.

"Nobody is perfect," Kyoko tried to argue. "Nobody except you," she giggled. "Hold out your hand," she joked before going to her bag. She had no idea why she had taken these with her, she guessed it was because they were in the same bag as she had Corn in or maybe she was just trying to hold onto her past, hold onto the entirety of her relationship with her husband.

She smirked as she held something behind her back and looked at his outstretched hand.

With a playful grin, Kyoko placed a stamp down on her husbands hand and watched as his eyes lit up in surprise and then he started to chuckle.

'100% - Full Points'

Kyoko took a pen and added to the Love Me stamp mark, 'I love you, my Kuon'.


	9. Chapter 8 - Just One Perfect Day

**Chapter Eight – Just One Perfect Day**

Kyoko watched Kuon as he seemed to be going over a checklist of some kind. She peeked up at him curiously before looking back down again. She knew exactly what he was doing and as much as she hated the thought of it, she knew it was for the best. He was trying to figure out his plans of getting into the out-patient care program at the New York hospital. He had already decided on a date, on a flight, and was already trying to make a list of what he'd need to bring to the house that Kuu owned.

Kyoko would have wanted to help him with all of this apart from she wasn't going with him.

She bowed her head, she didn't want to say how she felt alone with him just going through the plans so meticulously and seeming to ignore her without realizing. Maybe if he had arranged for her to go with her, she would have more right to tell him what she thought was best. After the discussion with Kuu and Julie however, she didn't feel it was right for her to butt in.

She peeked up at him again after looking down at the magazine on her lap and this time saw that he was watching her.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked her with the same loving concern that she had always known him to have. "Kyoko," he said as he tapped the seat next to him. "Come on, I'll put this away. Why don't we just…talk," he suggested as she looked at him nervously.

"I don't want to," she muttered, "I'm okay," she drew infinity symbols on her lap with her finger and frowned. She felt so stubborn and selfish. All the plans that Kuon was making were for the both of them. He was trying to take her into consideration and she appreciated that, she just wanted to be with him and to have the honor of taking care of the man she loved, the man who had taught her how to love.

"Okay then," Kuon smiled as he put everything down on the side table, "then I'll come over to join you," he grinned playfully as he sat down next to her. "You know I hate to see you upset, princess, anything I can do?" he asked.

Kyoko bit her tongue to stop herself from asking to go with him, she looked away before a thought popped into her head. "I know we need to be careful because of the cancer," she said quickly, "but…tomorrow, can we spend the day together and forget about it, one day?" she asked as he looked at her in shock.

From the moment he had told Kyoko, it was all his wife could think about and he had seen the pain which she had gone through. Now she was asking him if they could take a break. He looked at her, talking so much about the illness and trying to figure out their plans could be done anywhere. They only had a limited time is Los Angeles together. He had disrupted her vacation period without thinking about it.

"Of course," he smiled to her as he kissed the top of her head, "I'll show you LA. Just the two of us, I'll make it perfect," he said before pulling her close to him. Kyoko let her body relax against her husband's, a deep breath letting her release the fear and anxiety that had been building.

"Thank you," she said as she squeezed his hand.

….

….

"Okay, don't you dare move, Kuon" Kyoko grinned as she stood with Kuon on Rodeo Drive, she squeezed his hand before kissing his cheek and took a selfie of them. She pulled back and showed him the picture as he laughed. "You are always so photogenic," she smiled with a blush.

"That's funny, I think you come out so much more beautiful in these pictures," Kuon teased her as he took her phone from her. He looked at Kyoko who was in a light yellow dress with matching sandals and a yellow sun hat, she also had a pair of designer sunglasses but had removed those for the photo. He reached his hand out for her and kissed her cheek, "Don't run away from me today," he whispered in a playfully sexy voice.

Kyoko grinned as she looked back at her husband. She loved his tight jeans, his black and white striped tank and the white designer jacket he had put on top, he was also wearing a white cap and had his sunglasses poking slightly out of his jacket pocket. "Oh I wouldn't dream of it," she replied with just as much playfulness. "Today you, Kuon, are all mine."

He wrapped his arms around her with his dazzling grin, "That's the case each and every day," he smiled. "So, I thought you'd like starting out here and seeing some of these stores," he said as he held her hand, bringing it up to his lips and licking her finger teasingly as she blushed. "We have all kinds of clothing and makeup stores and I'm sure we'll be able to find something good."

Kyoko shook her head with a laugh, "Don't forget, we're also treating you today," he told him as he grinned again.

"Well then, aren't I lucky to have someone who knows my taste in clothing so well. I have a perfect stylist in my adorable wife," he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "So, where do you want to go first?"

Kyoko hummed, "Why don't we take a walk down and see all the stores and then we can come back to our favorites," she suggested. "Plus, I want to get a lot of shots with us together and a lot of pictures of my husband who I am going to miss so terribly."

Kuon raised an eyebrow, "As long as you're okay with a camera war, for every photograph you take of me today, I'm going to take two of you."

Kyoko playfully poked out her tongue at him and was surprised at how quickly Kuon could take that photo of her. She grinned before putting her arms around his shoulders and stepping onto her tip toes to kiss him, bringing her phone up whilst she was there. As she came down with her feet flat on the ground she looked at the picture and laughed as she saw Kuon winking to it. "You're not messing around are you?"

Kuon grinned, "Well, if you're going to kiss me to get pictures, I'm not going to argue with you," he chuckled happily as she watched him. She took his hand before letting him lead her down the street.

"So," Kuon smiled to her as they walked past some of the designer stores, "I made reservations for us tonight, a little dinner date. I think I picked a very good place although it was either the place we're going to or an upscale seafood restaurant."

Kyoko raised an eyebrow in interest, she wondered if Kuon was going to take her to some exclusive place where only the top celebrities went to. Well, she wouldn't order roasted frogs or some equally off putting dish. She would also have to remind her not to be too concerned about what Kuon was eating unless it was overly absurd.

"Are you going to tell me or not?" she asked as her eyes seemed to interrogate him for the answer.

Kuon nodded, "Alright, as long as you stop trying to figure it out without asking any questions," he nodded. "I've made reservations at the Hard Rock Café in Hollywood," he said looking at her with a wide smile. "I think they've just come out with an exclusive new burger that has an egg on it." He looked at Kyoko and laughed as her smile covered her whole face and she grabbed his arm excitedly.

"Really?" she asked, "You're really going to take me there?" she repeated in a very cute, over excited manner as he couldn't keep himself from laughing.

"Well, I thought it'd be perfect for you," he told her, "but come on, I want to see what store you'd like to go in first."

Kyoko gazed up in adoration at the man she had promised to spend the rest of her life loving. "I think we should go into that one," she said as she pointed to a Brooks Brothers with a lot of men's clothes in the window. "I think it might be nice if we start out by spoiling you."

Kuon looked at her and raised an eyebrow, "Really?" he asked, "Okay, I can't argue with you," he said as he saw her determined expression. "We'll go in there first, but then I am definitely going to spoil the amazing Princess Kyoko."

….

….

After they had gone to about fourteen different stores which included women's fashion, handbags, footware, a couple of men's fashion stores, and an electronic store, Kyoko was watching her husband as he tried to take all ten bags that they hadn't had shipped back to the house. She tried to grab hold of one as he turned back to her.

"You alright?" he asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I'm alright, I'm just trying to keep my husband from carrying everything when I'm perfectly capable of taking a few bags, after all most of the money was spent on me today," Kyoko commented with a raised eyebrow.

Kuon grinned playfully as he looked at her, "You do realize that there aren't going to be any point deductions if I take all of them," he joked with her. "I can't actually give you a negative stamp anymore," he looked down at his hand and smiled at where the stamp still was. He had honestly answered all of the questions the shop keepers had asked him about the mark and Kyoko had blushed most of the times he had done so.

God, just as Kuu was a very overly doting father, Kuon was an overly doting husband. It did make her feel incredibly special however.

"I know you can't give me negative points, you idiot," she said affectionately, "but I shouldn't let Corn do all of the hard work when I'm capable of taking half of them easily," she said before he sighed and handed her the two smallest bags and she looked at him. Really? Really? This was the joke he was going to make about her saying that?

"I can take bigger bags," she said with a very strong laugh. She hated to admit this, but whenever she could spend time with Kuon like this it made her happier than spending time with Kanae. Moko was always going to be one of her best friends but she didn't feel like this with anyone other than Kuon. She was really going to miss it.

"Are you sure?" he asked, as she poked her tongue out at him again.

"Of course you jerk," Kyoko teased back knowing that Kuon wouldn't take the insult too seriously. "At least let me carry the heavy ones."

Kuon shook his head, "Of course not, what kind of husband would I be if I made my wife take the heavy ones," he argued, "you really should be following the already established social conduct rules of just letting the man take all the bags for his wife," he said trying to make fun of the Ren Tsuruga character.

Kyoko rolled her eyes, she came close to him and looked him in the eyes. She knew that there were certain ways that she could look at him which would just make him freeze and create that glowing smile. She was using one of those at this moment. She drew closer to him and gently pressed her lips on top of his as he closed his eyes.

As she pulled back, Kuon was surprised that she had taken more than half of the bags into her own hands. He bowed his head finding it hard to keep a straight expression anymore. "I told you that I could take half," she said before walking towards where their car was. Along the way however she was stopped by a Disneyland flyer and looked up at the princesses and other characters.

She shot a look back at Kuon nervous to ask if they could go there, she shouldn't have been surprised by seeing that blinding smile as he watched her.

"We can go," he nodded with his arms folded over his chest.

God, did she love him.


	10. Chapter 9 - Refreshed

**Author Note:** Thank you everyone who has read this story and thank you for waiting for an update. I felt glad I took time in really thinking this over before writing it and I hope you'll like it too. Remember the story title is still secrets so there will of course be some secrets throughout.

 **Chapter Nine - Refreshed**

Kyoko smiled as she lay in the large bathtub at the Hizuri house. She couldn't believe the luxury that was right here at her fingertips. Yes, she and Kuon had a pretty big bath at their house, but she hadn't known about the numerous products that you could get to enhance the feeling. She had been surprised when Julie had come to her and offered some of these precious items and had felt obliged to accept some of them.

She felt radiant.

Kyoko had often heard the stories of the queens who bathed in milk and those who used honey for their skin, she had definitely known about the different types of vanilla in products and how the valuation went for them and whereas she couldn't hide her love for makeup and jewelry from her husband, she had been able to get away with just a few products for the bathtub.

It was nothing like this luxury now, the feel of being a princess.

There was just one thing that would make this bathtub even nicer and that was the warm body in the other room, the presence of her husband behind her. Knowing his body, being able to touch his body, loving his body. Still, he hadn't picked up on the hints she was giving him that perhaps they could share the bathtub and enjoy one another's company. At least she hoped that was the case, she hoped it wasn't something more to do with his stomach and pain.

She wondered how it would be like not to be with him every moment of every day and most of all she worried about him. He had always tried to get away with hiding the truth and keeping his own secrets. Even if Kuu was with him, Kuon would probably still try to make those thoughts and feelings disappear without having any means to do so.

She wished that he would actually be truthful with everyone or well, if not with everyone, with her.

Was he really scared that she would suddenly stop being in love with him?

Her sad eyes looked to the door and she gave a weak smile before putting her hands on her belly. It was larger than before, that was good right? That meant that their child was growing well and she was already doing an alright job as a mother? After all, it had been Kuon who had assured her that their daughter would be alright since she had her mother's love and magic keeping her safe.

Corn had more magic than she did.

….

….

Kuon sighed as he put a hand on his forehead and let his body slump on the chair where he was sitting. He held the phone up to his other ear. He didn't know how it had happened, but somehow the media had found the story about his stomach cancer and it was making headline news across Japan. Apparently everyone was awaiting his return and there were different fan clubs wanting to pull money together to help with his treatment. That would have to wait and he would have to tell them to give to those who didn't have anything rather than to him who had options.

He hadn't known how it had happened, but he was very glad that even before it had spread too badly, his manager had gotten hold of him.

"Well," Kuon sighed as he looked at the bathroom where Kyoko was, he didn't want to send her back to a country of jackals but staying here would be worse for her career and maybe even better for those wanting to spread vicious gossip. "We knew it was going to come out eventually, you want to send any of those reporters to New York because I'm not coming back yet."

"Kuon," Yashiro said on the other end of the line, "As much as some of these reporters would love to go to America, don't you think that coming home and doing some press might be best. Clear the air a little, direct the story wherever you want it to go."

Kuon looked down, "The facts are always going to be the same though. I'm sick, I got diagnosed with stomach cancer stage three, I'm going to go through with chemotherapy, the likelihood of me surviving is debatable." He took another breath in, "I don't know how the news expects to spin this story, no matter what angle you look at it it's the same."

Kuon could almost see Yashiro's frustrated expression on the other side of the phone call, "You just mentioned," he said slowly, "about five different ways they can spin it and what about Kyoko, is she staying over there with you?" he asked.

Kuon paled slightly, "We were discussing her coming back first and then joining me in New York later," he said nervously. He sighed when he heard Yashiro's reply.

"Kuon, what about the fact that if you send Kyoko back by herself it'll look like the two of you broke up and your marriage didn't last. Can you imagine all those vultures swarming in on here whilst she's pregnant and asking her all of the questions that you should be answering? Can't you imagine all the guys who don't know that you two are still committed to each other and having a baby, wanting to seduce her and flirting with her?"

Kuon sighed as he heard those excuses that Yashiro was making, honestly he had thought about those but his eyes had always been glued to the end result instead of whatever was happening in the middle. The points that Yashiro was making to him were very valid points, though he didn't want to admit his jealousy and protectiveness over his wife.

"I found that the top doctor for this was in New York," Kuon sighed before hearing Yashiro's seriousness.

"I actually found seven doctors in the top twenty who are in Japan specializing in this, the number three doctor right here in Tokyo," Yashiro nodded. "You might not be able to act, but you can definitely come back to Japan. You wouldn't want a pregnant Kyoko to be vulnerable, would you?" he asked with a mischievous smile that was easy for Kuon to visualize.

Kuon looked down, "I'll think about it. I'll fly out when I was planning to and I'm going to answer those press questions. I want to talk to the president face to face and see what he recommends, if he says that the treatment in Japan is good enough and he has enough faith in it, then I'll do that. No guarantees I'll stay," he said before seeing Kyoko exit the bathroom.

She looked at Kuon as she held her bathrobe in preparation to be disappointed, "Did you just…"

"Listen, I have to go. I'll talk to you tomorrow," Kuon said quickly.

"Just make sure to take good care of yourself," Yashiro said before letting Kuon hang up.

Kuon stared at his wife, he wasn't sure how much of that she'd just heard. He watched her shiver slightly. After hearing that did she actually expect him to give her bad news. "I'm going to go back over to Japan, but I'm not promising I'll st-" he said before feeling Kyoko's arms around him.

Kuon felt her wet hair on his shoulder and let his hands pull her close to him.

"I'm so grateful," Kyoko whispered to him, "even if it's just for a minute or two, you'll be there beside me. An hour, a day, anything, you'll be there with me." She looked to him and backed away, letting her robe fall slightly. "Thank you," she said as he looked at her guiltily.

"You're welcome, princess," he said in surprise. Maybe he would be able to stay in Japan after all. "Now," he grinned to her, "We should get you warmed up," he felt his eyes catch some of the king of the night smolder. He took her shoulders in his hands and gently turned her and guided her back onto the bed as he looked over her. Now she could remember exactly how she had gotten pregnant.

"You smell," Kuon said as he trailed his nose down her chest, opening up her robe a little, "so good. I'm afraid that I won't be able to let you go tonight," he said as he gave small pecks to her lips and put his finger on them as he looked at her with the power of an emperor and the sexiness of a renowned model. "Hmm, what ever shall I do with you," he said as he ran his fingers through her wet hair.

"Be careful now," Kyoko grinned to him, "You don't want to risk your reputation of being a mature and respectable actor," she laughed as he looked at her and let his hand roam her body.

"Oh don't I now," he said before slipping his shirt off. She knew exactly where this was leading.

….

….

Kyoko laughed as she rolled over to look at her husband, she put a hand out and touched his chest. "Well, that was one way of getting warmed up," she hummed as she came closer to him and curled into his body. He always treated her so well when he made love to her, it made her feel like a very precious jewel he was trying to protect or as he wanted it put, a princess.

"You know, you're a lot more open than that girl who was afraid to be kissed," Kuon teased her.

"Well, I wasn't your wife when that happened," Kyoko said as she ran her fingers through his blond hair. "So, you're going to come home? At least for a little bit, you're going to be with me?" she asked as he grinned and then allowed himself to laugh.

"If only for a little time I'm going to make sure that the three of us stay together," Kuon promised her. "It depends if the president thinks that I can complete my treatment over there as well as I could have over here. I guess I should have done more research," he told her as she pressed kisses to his chest.

"You know, I've been reading up a lot on your condition and there's one thing that is not in America that you have there," she said as he nodded.

"I have you and your love," he said before she lifted a finger to place on his lips.

"Not only do you have me and my love, but you have my work ethic, my knowledge, my perseverance, and you have my trust in you getting better and my belief that you will," she said honestly as he held her closer to him. "All I ask is that you allow me to help you."

"I will allow you to help me," Kuon said as he looked at the woman he loved so adoringly.

"No, you really do have to _let_ me," Kyoko stressed. "You hide a lot of secrets, Kuon, I need to know all of them if we're going to make it through this. You're going to have to tell me everything about how you're feeling."

"Only if you do," Kuon replied, "You try to conceal things as well."

Kyoko grinned, "You've got a deal Mr. Hizuri," she said as she laughed. She really hoped that Lory Takarada would push for Kuon staying with her in Japan. It would make her feel so happy and relieved to be able to have Kuon in their home. It was much less scary than him being in a place she had never even visited.

"So, princess," Kuon smiled, "Are you still wanting to go to Disneyland tomorrow?" he asked, "I know there will be a lot of Disney princes walking around. I know how much you loved them as a child, the perfect prince."

Kyoko shook her head, "I already found the perfect prince. A prince with so much magic inside of him. A prince that was able to fly. A prince that I am proud to call my husband."


	11. Chapter 10 - Disney Prince

**Chapter Ten – Disney Prince**

Kuon grinned as he saw Kyoko's eyes light up as they stood in the magical kingdom. Even saying that name, the magic kingdom, was enough to set Kyoko's heart aflutter. Kuon was surprised that Kyoko had never been to Disneyland, but then again he was the person married to her and they had only gone to Disney Sea once since their acting arrangements got in the way sometimes. He was wearing a black hoody, red button up shirt, and black jeans with athletic shoes. He was also wearing a designer black cap.

Right now, however, he was watching his wife flutter about as she looked at all the pictures and statues and flowers of everything princess. "You having fun?" he laughed as she turned to grin back at him.

"How can I not?" she asked, "This is just how I'd imagined Corn's kingdom," she smiled at him happily. "You know before…"

"Before you discovered that I'm not a giant mouse," Kuon teased playfully. "You are very cute when you go into lala land," he said teasingly. He watched her with such love and compassion as she acted the same way a daydreaming child would. "It makes me want to take hold of something that cute."

"Hold me on the rides," Kyoko smiled to him, "Not here. Well, maybe next to him," she pointed to where Pluto was coming along followed by some little kids.

"I'm fine out of the photographs," Kuon tried to refuse as he adjusted the strap of the camera. "I have seen too many photos of myself since I started as an actor," he commented as Kyoko rolled her eyes.

"I want photographs with my prince," she said with her sad eyes, "You're so mean," she sniffed as he took her hand and moved with her to the line. He shook his head as he grinned down at her.

"You know just where my weak points are," he said as he placed a hand on her back. He watched as the kids had their pictures taken with Pluto. "You know, I really hope we can take our kids here," he said as Kyoko blushed. She hadn't wanted to say anything because she hadn't wanted to depress her husband or have him think that that might not even be possible. She was incredibly glad that he had said it.

As it came for them to have their photos taken, Kyoko smiled as Kuon had his arms around her with Pluto posing at the side. There were a couple of pictures taken and then they were done, Kuon going to get the ticket where they could get full access of the pictures – and paying the money for it as well -.

Kuon watched his wife happily before looking across at where three Japanese girls were staring at them and talking to one another. He felt his stomach twinge uncomfortably but smiled through it. Hopefully this day wouldn't be ruined by talks about his health.

Kyoko grinned to her husband as she noticed where he was staring. She still wasn't up to his height of fame despite making a name for herself and even when she thought they were talking about her to the point where they would be both recognized, the truth had come up and Kuon had exploded across Japan in terms of popularity.

"Are…" one of the girls came over to the two of them, "Are you the real Kuon?" she asked.

"I guess, I am" Kuon laughed weakly, "I'm here with my wi-"

"Like the Kuon formerly known as Ren?" another of the girls dared to ask as Kuon laughed again.

"Yes, the same one," he nodded. "Were you girls looking for an autograph. I have my wife here, she'd be happy to give an autograph too," he gestured to Kyoko as she grinned watching him. He was always able to get these women to come over to him and then he always tried to get them to notice her. She had heard about Kuon being a player in the past and very smooth with the women, now that he was married he seemed very awkward about women overly attracted to him."

"Can we get a photo?" one of the girls asked, "The four of us?" she asked as Kuon looked at Kyoko.

"My wife is an amazing Japanese actress, did you girls know that?" he tried to smile as Kyoko grinned at him.

"Darling, it's fine" she called out with a wink, "I'll take some photos for you girls, but please don't feel like you should be getting too comfortable," she smiled protectively before taking a few photos for them. She handed back the camera and two phones and then held onto Kuon's arm. "Have a good day," she smiled politely before grinning up at him.

"Weren't you saying earlier that you didn't want to be in a lot of pictures?" she asked as he nodded.

"I did. However, I'll be in as many pictures as you want as long as I have you protecting me," he teased her as she laughed.

"Deal!" She smiled happily before her eyes lit up, "Look! It's Cinderella," she said with stars in her eyes as if she was seeing a real celebrity. Kuon rolled his eyes and took her hand in his own as they went for another photo.

"I'll get a selfie this time," he promised her as he tried to keep her from going completely into her dreamland state.

As they approached the princess and Kyoko asked for them to have a picture with her, Kuon smiled to the gorgeous love of his life.

"We both have something amazing in common," Kyoko told her as Kuon put his arm around her, "I married a true prince as well," she said as he took the selfie trying not to look too goofy but hearing how happily Kyoko had said that, well, it made him feel an undefinable sense of amazing.

…

…

A little over a week later, Kuon and Kyoko were sitting together in the presidents office at LME. Lory had several different files out on the table in front of them and was looking at the best possible treatment plan for his top performer. Nearly all of the press loved Kuon most of all and were surprised that he had chosen not to return to America just yet. At this point, Kyoko was sure that she only needed to get Lory's agreement and they could stay at the apartment together.

"I see no reason as to why you couldn't get the same treatment here as in New York," Lory Takarada said as he double checked all of the information. "Plus, you have your support system over here, both of you," he said as he turned to look at Kyoko.

"See, I told you it was the best plan," she said as she curled up closer to her husband. She grinned at him as he sighed and nodded.

"Yes, you did," he smiled to her. He let her grin widely as he took a deep inhale and then slowly let it out, "Alright, I guess I'm going to be staying here," he said as Kyoko raised a fist of victory in the air.

"However, I do think it's very important that we schedule the start of your chemo for as early as possible. I want you to meet with a doctor tomorrow who will start by helping you get ready. The chemotherapy itself should begin in two or three weeks so we'll work those details out together. We're all going to work hard on making sure you get through this, Kuon," Lory said wanting the actor to trust him.

Kyoko nodded, "That sounds good, but I'd like to be…"

"I'm sure I can do it myself if you've got a job that you…" Kuon said as Kyoko looked back at him. She shook her head.

"Sorry, president," she sat straighter and looked very professionally at Lory, "I misspoke. Please, let me rephrase that, I want to be…no, it is a requirement that I am at that doctors appointment with Kuon and please make sure I am with every appointment with Kuon unless it is best for his health for me not to be and then I require a doctor's note."

"I agree," Lory nodded, "I think that it's important that you go to each of them, we know how much this guy likes to hide things," he pointed his finger at Kuon.

"Listen, you do not need to be there," Kuon tried to argue, "Chemotherapy is a very lengthy process, it might take several hours or…"

"I'll be there, end of discussion," Kyoko said firmly before looking down at the papers.

"Well then I insist on being there for each one of the pregnancy exams," he challenged her but was surprised when her smile grew twice the size.

"I'd love that. I want to share as many moments of our child's development as possible. You are definitely going to take after your father, you know, when you become a dad," Kyoko smiled before feeling her own nerves.

"And, hopefully even after this," Kuon gestured to the papers, "I'll be there to remind you how good a mother you are and to hold you if you get scared. To always prove to you how much you love our child and hopefully children."

Kyoko nodded before throwing her arms around him, "Thank you, my sweet Corn" she said as he took out a handkerchief and dried her eyes. He kissed her cheek and she pressed her forehead to his shoulder. The feeling of love and intimacy was broken however by Lory Takarada laughing.

"What?" Kuon asked as he shot the other man a look.

"I just wonder which key combination I did to get this to happen," Lory joked. "I wonder how I got two of the most difficult, stubborn, and love-lacking people into such a super happy, very positive, romantic relationship. I must remember it for the next romance game I play."

Kyoko smiled before kissing Kuon's cheek. "I don't think it can be replicated," she told him, "well, unless you have other people like Corn."

"I think he's feeling very fortunate about that," Kuon said as he held Kyoko's hand and gently squeezed it. "Now, let's go home," he told her as she felt her heart lighten. So they would stay together in Japan. That was all that she was wishing for.

As the two of them went down to the first floor, Kyoko was stunned when she saw someone she hadn't for a seriously long time. She felt her stomach drop and tried to hide behind her husband. Hadn't Vie Ghoul ended already? Were they still performing? She hadn't taken much interest in them, they were only copycat beagles.

"What is it?" Kuon asked her, she had been so happy before and now this. He looked at her and put his hand on her cheek trying to make eye contact with her. "Princess, are you hurt? Is there something wrong?" he asked concerned before hearing a cold voice behind them.

"She's just worried that…" Reino said as he came in and casually placed a hand on her stomach. Kuon's eyes widened and he wrenched the hand off, his eyes almost challenging the singer to test him. "Wow, I was right, this baby is going to be born without a father," he said.

"My baby is going to have a father" Kyoko argued, "he's right here," she saw the way Reino looked as she said that and her fear sparked inside her.

"The expiration date on this body," Reino said as he put a hand on Kuon's shoulder before Kuon pushed it off. "Isn't long at all…" he said before walking off as Kyoko felt tears in her eyes. She looked down as she tried to steady herself, but it scared her. That man had creepy powers and had been right about other things, he had known she was pregnant before the media did.

Was there really such a short expiration date on her husband's life?


	12. Chapter 11 - Flying Through the Sky

**Author Note:** Thanks for all of the support of this story. I can't give away whether Kuon will make it through or not but I do have it planned =D. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

 **Chapter Eleven – Flying Through the Sky**

Kuon couldn't pretend things were alright anymore, he had been trying for hours but all Kyoko seemed to do was stay under the blankets of their big bed. During the past two days he had only persuaded her to come out to shoot the scenes in the drama she was finishing up and even then he had had to ask for special permission to sit in on set. Fortunately, with his physical presence there, she could act to her full potential and delivered scenes without NGs.

Once the scene had ended or the work was done, she would come over to him and make sure that he was alright and still there. He had lost count of how many times she had felt if he had a fever or touched his chest to see how he was breathing or felt his pulse. After what that stalker had said to her, she couldn't get her mind off the fact that he could die.

Kuon wished he could lie to his wife, tell her that there was no way that he could die and that they'd be a happy family. Unfortunately, he didn't have the ability to do so. He couldn't make up any sort of fairy tale in which the cure to his cancer was in the story and he couldn't bring her to see hope if she refused to.

There felt like nothing that he could do.

He needed her to be strong, even if that was selfish, she had to be strong. He would be able to take care of himself, but she had to be strong for their child. If she lost everything now then it would be a lot tougher to continue fighting, if the worst happened and she had a miscarriage, Kuon was scared that would be the death of him as well.

He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let his wife continue being so depressed.

As his phone rang, Kuon picked it up and felt a small ray of sunshine across his heart, "It's ready? I'll be there soon," he told them. "Thank you for getting it ready so fast," he said with a smile before looking across at Kyoko. He hoped that this would work and she would get back to being herself again. He just needed to make sure she was alright.

He stood and then looked at the contact list on his phone, he smiled as he picked a number that he only really used when needing to, he thought back to the way the girl had told him that since he was now Kyoko's fiancé, her number was going to be on his phone and that she was not going to forgive him if he treated her bad.

At least his wife's best friend was as protective over her as he was.

"Hello, Kanae?" he asked, "It's Kuon. Are you currently working? Am I interrupting anything," he waited a little before smiling. "Could you possibly come over and talk to Kyoko. I need to be somewhere for only a short time and I don't feel comfortable -" he paused as the phone was hung up and shrugged. He sighed helplessly. At some moments he felt that that woman really didn't like him very much.

….

….

When Kyoko woke up, she was surprised that Kuon wasn't there next to her. Sure, sometimes he was in other parts of the house, but he usually stayed there and had even seemed to take up residence at the desk in the room so he could be with her even though she felt ashamed of herself. He would always rush over to her and tell her how much he loved her and hold her and try to make her feel better.

Now he wasn't here.

"Kuon?" she sniffed before sitting up and looking at the girl sat at the end of the bed, "Mo..ko?" she asked trying to brush away the tears.

"Are you trying to break my heart?" Kanae asked in a deep voice as she looked down at the ground. "You know how much I don't like seeing my best friend in such a depressed state."

Kyoko froze and felt the tears wash down her face, "Kuon's going to die, Moko" she blubbered as Kanae tossed her a packet of tissues.

"He might, true," Kanae nodded as Kyoko tried to clean herself up a little. "I think it'd be a lot easier for him to fight though if you cheered him on. You act as if he's dead already."

Kyoko pulled the blankets around her tighter, "You don't understand Moko," she said as her heart hurt more. "That damn beagle said…"

"I don't care what anyone said and neither should you," Kanae shot her a disapproving look. "If you haven't seen your husband is getting tired because he's worried about you. What happens if he gets too tired to go to his doctors appointments, then it's just a self-fulfilled prophecy isn't it? I mean, don't you want to at least let him believe you want him to fight instead of giving up on him."

Kyoko paled. That couldn't possibly be what Kuon was thinking right? How could he even imagine that she was giving up on him or on them? She had been the one who had insisted he complete his treatment in Japan, but then again, since they had met with that beagle, Kuon had become much quieter in his actions. He didn't seem as focused. If his treatment didn't go well it would prove that that demon was right.

"I want him to be alive, Moko," Kyoko said as Kanae sighed.

"Then try to focus on fighting. You might not be able to help him, but you are pregnant with his kid. You have to give him some motivation to fight and I'm sorry but if you continue to believe that the sky is falling down, you and I can no longer be friends," Kanae said before starting to stand.

Kyoko reached for her, "No. Moko, I'm fine. I'll fight. I just didn't realize, I didn't realize how much he's been pushed. I just listened to the stupid…"

"I brought over some ice cream," Kanae commented as she looked away, "You always say how much you enjoy eating ice cream together."

Kyoko nodded, "Can I just shower first?" she asked feeling awkward about Moko seeing her so broken.

Kanae sighed and then nodded as a smile appeared on her face, "Don't be too long," she said as she felt better that her friend was getting back to being herself.

….

….

Only a short time later, Kyoko was happily licking her spoon and Kanae was judging herself for eating too much of the delicious treat, when the door opened and Kuon came in looking exhausted still. When he went to the kitchen, his eyes lit up as he saw Kyoko out of bed and actually looking as if she was doing better. He came over to them after setting a gift bag down in the hallway. He wanted to give Kyoko the very special custom gift he had ordered for her in private.

"Seems as if you cheered up a bit, princess," he told Kyoko before smiling to her friend. "Thank you, Kanae, for coming over," he said as she glared at him.

"Three scoops," she frowned, "I had three scoops of the ice cream. You better eat the same."

Kuon looked at her and raised an eyebrow, "You do realize that eating is hard for me right now, don't you?" he asked. "Plus, I'm sure you liked it. I really want to thank you for cheering her up, I haven't been able to do it," he said before kissing Kyoko's cheek.

"So, I win," Kanae smiled, "Well, I'll be leaving the two of you. Just happy that I managed to do something that you couldn't," she told Kuon who watched her leave a little confused. He smiled as he saw Kyoko look a little healthier than she had been.

Kuon wrapped his arms around his wife. "You have no idea how happy I am to see that smile," he told her with a peaceful expression that really did portray his relief at how she had recovered even if it was only a slight amount. "So, I got you a gift, but I'd really like to give it to you in the living room," he told her as she looked at him confused.

"Yes." Kyoko said as she stood up and looked around, "Let me just clean these bowls," she said before feeling her husband take her hand and lead her into the living room, the bag now in his hand.

Kyoko felt calm as he sat down on the sofa next to her, she looked at his long legs and saw that he was tired. She felt guilty. She hadn't noticed that and with an appointment coming up soon, well he couldn't afford to be that tired. She wanted to apologize to him, but felt the bag in her hand.

"I really hope you like it," he told her, "It has a special meaning to it, but you can open it first," he grinned.

Kyoko looked at the bag curiously before taking out a jewelry box. Her heart lit up as she looked at the nice velvet box that came from the jewelry store. There must be something inside that Kuon had taken time to pick out. Kuon was always so thoughtful when he bought things for her, he always liked to surprise her with a special meaning or a legend. That was just who he was. He was her amazing prince.

Opening up the box, Kyoko blinked as she saw a silver strand with just one gem at the end of it. It was a green bird that was in midflight. She let her fingers run over the bird, it was a wren, wasn't it? The green was a little duller than Kuon's eyes but that didn't matter. The color green did always remind her of those gorgeous eyes that made her feel like a princess would.

"This is a wren, right?" she asked as he nodded.

"Yes, it's a wren. It might not be Ren Tsuruga, but it's a wren," he said as he kissed her cheek.

"Don't tell me it's a joke because of how I said you were more like Ren Tsuruga than Kuon Hizuri," Kyoko said quickly before dropping down into a seated bow, "I'm so sorry. I didn't…"

"It's not like that. The wren is a symbol just like the wren has his wings open like a fairy would if he's flying. He's made of alexandrite which has a very special property," he looked at her taking her in with his eyes. "Do you know what it is?"

Kyoko froze as she tried to think about what she knew to do with the stone. She felt it was familiar but she wasn't exactly sure. She shook her head, "I'm not….sorry," she apologized as Kuon leaned towards her.

He took the necklace in his hands and then held it up to the light in front of her. Kyoko's eyes widened as the bird turned a deep and romantic red in color instead of the green it was before. This was the same magic that was on Corn's stone. The change of colors to make something even more beautiful than it originally was.

"So, this works because under sunlight, you get the green color and then in artificial lighting it turns red," Kuon tried to explain to her. "To me though it shows me that I can be with you during the sunlight, but with more light shining on me, you can see how much I love you. I'd like you to have this and I'd like to selfishly ask you to be my light so that in a year or ten years or even longer, I can still be by your side with my wings out wide, loving you."

Kyoko broke down into happy tears and nodded. She moved her hair away from her neck and let her husband put it on.

"Only you," she said to him, putting a hand on his cheek, "Only you can buy the sweetest and most elegant gift ever whilst saying you're selfish. I love you so much. I am proud to be your light," she said as she admired the necklace.

She had to work hard to be as strong as she could be. She had to make sure that the person she loved so much more than anyone else got better and could fly freely through the sky again.


	13. Chapter 12 - A Head of the Game

**Author Note:** This chapter plays a lot with the title. I've also felt like I'm updating too fast so I'm going to try to slow down between updates so maybe just once or twice a week per fic =D Anyway, thank you for reading, I really hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter Twelve – A Head of the Game**

 _So, do you expect that you'll be in recovery when your child is born?_

 _Do you think that you could raise a baby alone, Kyoko? In such a situation would we lose two of Japan's best actors?_

 _Are you scared you'll never be able to return to acting, Kuon?_

Those were just some of the moronic questions that the press had asked them. Not only had Kuon felt all the air in his lungs being pummeled out of him, but he had seen Kyoko break and hold tight to the necklace he had given her. He hated the attacks, but he also hated not being able to give proof that they would come out of this alright.

He looked over to his sleeping wife and nodded as he listened to the doctor on the other end of the phone, "Yes, I should be able to take the earlier appointment, yes, I'm sure I just want to get it started as soon as possible," he nodded. As he looked down he realized something important.

He had just agreed to schedule his first round of chemo at the same time as Kyoko was filming some scenes for her drama. He couldn't tell her. He'd be fine doing it alone without her knowing.

….

….

Kyoko grinned as she finished yet another scene without an NG. She was proud of herself, even though a lot of these actors around her had been in the field for more years, she was able to match up with the other Hizuris as actors. She felt that when she could think of how strong and noble her husband was, it made her more confident in herself.

She didn't know how she could cope with it if she lost him. She hated to admit that years ago it would have terrified her to know that she was this devoted to a man she had married and this excited about the baby they would have, but then she hadn't fallen in love with Ren and dated Kuon at that point.

She smiled softly before looking down at her phone, maybe if she just gave him a quick text he would be happy. Would that make him happy?

"Hey, Kyoko" one of the other actresses smiled to her, "Want to eat lunch together again?" she asked as Kyoko smiled softly at the phone. Maybe if she ate lunch, she could find some time to call him later in the dressing room. Even though he gave the most sweet and humorous texts, hearing his voice was always more refreshing to her.

"Y-Yes, that would be good," she grinned. She let her fingers roam her hair. The woman who had just asked her was very respectful when it came to her husband and would only ask one time out of politeness. There were some other girls here who would go on and on about Kuon and want to give him food or gifts and then she would remind them that they shouldn't force food on him with his condition.

That wasn't being cruel, right? Being the only one to give her husband treats after having read what was best for his stomach, that was just being a good wife wasn't it? Kyoko made sure to take off the expensive jacket she was wearing and went over to eat. Right before she made it to the table however, she heard her phone ring.

Maybe it was him. Hopefully it was good.

She frowned as she saw it was the number for the president. "Hello? The filming just got to pause so I have time to tal-"

"Where's your husband?" Lory asked in a scarily serious manner.

"At home?" Kyoko asked as she looked down at the flooring. She felt her heartbeat in her head. He was at home right? Wasn't he?

"So, I wasn't the only one who he didn't tell he went to the hospital today," Lory sighed as Kyoko paused, she felt her heartbeat quicken and her eyes widened. Her husband was in the hospital and they hadn't contact her? What kind of no good doctors did they have working there?

"What's he doing there?" she asked as she walked quickly to the dressing room, she needed to get changed and make her way to the hospital. She knew that Ren Tsuruga was Mr. Perfect no absence hard work ethic, but she was pretty sure that Kuon would be much more flustered if she was the one dying.

"My source said that he was offered an earlier spot to start the chemo, and of course he…" Lory sighed as he got more and more frustrated about the reckless American.

"I'm sorry president, I'm going to have to go to the hospital right now. Thank you for letting me know," Kyoko said quickly as she slammed the phone down. How stupid was he? She quickly got dressed into her normal clothes and went back to see the director. She felt horrible at how she was treating this job, she wouldn't be completely surprised if they fired her, but she would never let Kuon go through this alone.

"I apologize," she said in a loud voice as she dropped down into a bow in front of the director. "I deeply apologize, but I have to leave right now. Family emergency," she said as she heard the gossiping people knowing that she was referring to her husband. "I have to leave right now because I married an idiot."

The director looked at her before nodding. "I understand," he said as Kyoko stormed off.

She just hoped that if Kuon really was in the middle of his treatment, she could cool down before seeing him.

….

….

So far it had been a long time of waiting for the blond actor. Even though this doctor was supposedly highly trained and was very private with the clients this hospital treated, he still felt nervous. It was obvious that there were different levels of fame, but he had never considered himself at the pinnacle. Not the way these people were treating him…or maybe they were doing it because of Lory.

He took deep breaths as he tried to think about what he had been through. First he had taken a taxi to get here since Kyoko would have scolded him for taking the train system and it wasn't within walking distance. Then he had had his vitals taken at the infusion floor.

He had taken note of everything they had been doing to him.

"So," the nurse who had helped the doctor take notes on his situation said as she came over to him. "You're _the_ Kuon Hizuri, aren't you?" she asked. "You know, I'd have recommended not coming here alone, you're allowed to have one caregiver in here with you."

"I'm fine," Kuon smiled politely as he looked up from the book he was reading. "Trust me, I've handled a lot worse by myself."

"Just so you know, we do have your wife on file if you'd like us to notify her. You might not be able to get home by yourself," she said awkwardly continuing to see that gentleman smile.

"It'll be alright, I'm not nervous about it at all," he said trying to make sure she didn't see the air punctures in that lie.

"If there is a care…" she said before seeing a figure come in and take seat at the bedside. She paused as Kuon looked taken aback at how Kyoko was sitting right next to him, she had her back pressed against the wall with her perfect posture, her hands were in her lap, her legs pushed together and she was taking deep breaths.

"I'm here," she said as she opened her eyes. "I couldn't make it before, but," she smiled her own gentlewoman smile. "I am able to be beside my stupid stupid husband," she said as Kuon looked at her.

She was pissed, wasn't she?

"Well, you're here for the most important part," the nurse said as she sensed a danger in the room, "I'll get the doctor and we can start the medication. Remember to try to stay relaxed," she said as she eyed Kyoko warily.

Kyoko immediately looked down, tears pricked her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She didn't know what to do, he hadn't told her about something so important and she might not have known. Something might have gone wrong and she would have had no idea. All she had wanted was to be at his side, seeing him in the bed like this wasn't something she had asked for.

"Kyoko…" Kuon said warily as he reached out towards her.

"You always try your best to make sure that I feel okay and that I'm not hurt," Kyoko told him as she attempted to hold back the tears. "You are always so kind to me when I'm sick or hurt or feel upset. I thought you knew what I wanted was to be able to take care of you. I'm so sorry, can we discuss this later? It isn't fair to just…you need to relax," she tried to smile as she brushed away the tears.

Kyoko reached out and took his hand and kissed it as he watched her. "I'm going to be alright," she said as she saw the IV get put into her husband's arm. "You just work on getting better for me and for our child. I hope she'll look just like her daddy," she smiled as she looked over Kuon. She looked to the doctor.

"Can I get on the bed with him?" she asked nervously.

The doctor nodded with a smile, "Yes, that should be alright as long as you don't press down on his body or fiddle with these drugs.

Kyoko smiled before getting Kuon's laptop from his bag and went to a secret folder she had put on there. "Well, why don't we watch this?" she asked before clicking on the first episode of Dark Moon. "Then you'll be able to see how fantastic you are and when you've witnessed that, that chemical cocktail going through you is not going to have any chance in taking you down."

….

….

The next day Kyoko hated to see how weak her husband was. He had gone through the treatment well enough, but he was insisting on doing the one interview he had for the next day. Kyoko wanted to scream at how she had walked off set because of her not being able to plan for time off, but she knew that might make the second time go worse. He had to be very successful in these treatments and then he would get better before they knew it.

The one silver lining was that she would be able to borrow the Bo costume for just a few moments since her replacement would have just finished wearing it. She could always bribe them again for use of the costume. She was now trying to keep her plotting face hidden behind Bo's beak.

As she walked down the hallway, she caught sight on the man she had wanted to find.

He didn't look well at all and although Kyoko wanted to run up to him and check his fever, pulse, breathing rate, she knew as Bo that would be strange. She could maybe comment on the slumped position and get Kuon to look after himself.

"Hey there," she saluted Kuon, "I feel like I just read a paper about you"

Kuon looked back at Bo with a weak smile, he looked as if he had just run a marathon. "Most likely. Was this another one about how I was selfish and didn't want my wife to come to my doctors appointment?" he asked since somehow word had spread.

"Yeah, I think that might have been the title," Bo said with a laugh. "But we all know you love your wife really, don't you?"

"Of course," Kuon nodded, "My wife is my favorite person and the only person I really trust. I love her, I didn't tell her because I don't love her. I could never…"

"So it was because she was too innocent or too busy for you, wow, you've sure got a boring wife if she's too busy for you," Bo said as Kuon looked down.

"I guess I just wanted to protect her," he said honestly.

"Because you think she's too innocent to understand?" Bo asked as Kyoko felt bad that this was the way she manipulated him, could this count as manipulation?

"Because it would be better for her if I was dead," Kuon said with a dark tone as Kyoko felt everything inside of her grip tighter and shake her. "If I wasn't here then…"

"You can tell me that your wife is pathetic when she talks about fairies all the time -" Bo said before Kuon sat straighter.

"She's not pathe-"

"and you can say how she's stupid and doesn't do well on tests -"

"I've never said these things about her to you or anyone else," Kuon said as he looked up with wide eyes. What on earth was this chicken saying about him?

"But," Kuon's eyes snapped open as he realized that this guy was finally going to take off his head. He paused wide eyed and open mouthed as the head dropped to the floor and he saw his wife staring at him. "Never tell me that it would be anything other than heartbreaking and devastating for me if you were dead."


	14. Chapter 13 - The Funeral of Kuon Hizuri

**Author Note:** Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following this story. I'm rethinking a lot of my stories right now but am going to be continuing this one as it is going quite well (I'm also continuing most of my Skip Beat fics). Hope you enjoy

 **Chapter Thirteen – The Funeral of Kuon Hizuri**

There was silence as Kuon stared up at the unmasked Bo. His eyes were wide as he just sat there stunned. He tried to think about all these encounters he had had with this chicken. It made sense for it to be Kyoko, the chicken knew when he was in a vulnerable place, the chicken always seemed to work hard, and he had been drawn to this chicken, but after all of this time it was his wife? Was this one of her games to trick him into false security or was this…

"You think I fought this hard because I want you dead?!" she yelled at him, tears washing down her face. She slowly got out of the suit to show that she had on a plain pair of jeans and a loose t-shirt. She looked at him with hurt in her eyes. "Is that what your child means to you?" she asked battling against the tears in her eyes.

She felt horrible that she was this mad at him and she had just revealed that she was Bo, but she couldn't help it. She had been trying to get her head together for the appointment at the hospital. She had been trying to balance everything in her career and personal lives and then she hadn't even been there. If she hadn't have found out then she would have let her husband go through the drug treatment alone and she'd be smiling at that time.

She saw Kuon continue to stare at her as he attempted to put the pieces together in his head. "I have to…I won't be home tonight," she said as she picked up the head and body and put it under her arm. "I should have known better than to…"

"You don't let me say anything, do you?" Kuon asked as he put a hand to his forehead and breathed deeply. He looked away, "I don't think you really know the bits in the middle," he said to Kyoko as he watched her.

She looked at him and then at the chicken suit. What was he talking about at this point? She thought it was most likely that he wasn't referring to the foam inside the material of the suit. "Wha-"

"You don't really know the middle bit between Corn the fairy prince and Ren Tsuruga," he said as he shook his head. "Did you really think I was worried about you manipulating me with a chicken costume," he laughed and shook his head. "The things that I've done are much wor-"

"I've seen you out of control," Kyoko said firmly. "I've seen you at your saddest and I've seen you when you've been blinded by anger. I've seen all different sides of you including your condescending tone right no-"

"You don't really know me at all because I've never let you see underneath, the dark and grotesque part of myself," he looked down. "What measures do you think it would take Kuu Hizuri to have to be pushed to to say that he needed his son to be taken away from him so that the son could get help. How far would the circumstances need to go for Kuu Hizuri to call his own son insane?" he asked as Kyoko looked down.

She knew that it must have been a lot that Kuu went through and she knew that it was probably even more that Kuon went through, but she didn't want a prince anymore, she wanted the man she fell in love with. Just because her husbands had a past, baggage, that didn't mean she couldn't cover the extra bag fee and if they needed to stuff all of their own baggage into a car, she would willingly sit on the roof if it got too full.

One thing was certain, she was not getting off this ride.

"I just need some time, Kuon," she whispered as she looked back at him. "Loving you is hard sometimes, but I will always choose to love you. I know you were a playboy. I know you never really fell in love as a teenager. I know that you get angry, get protective, get too caught up in the action and in your acting. I saw all of those things and I still stood with you and said I wanted to be your wife." She let the tears flow down her face. "I'm really sorry that I pretended to be a chicken for so long without telling you, or I mean a rooster…"

Kuon laughed weakly, "Well, if loving me is hard. I'll make it easier for you," he said before getting up and Kyoko felt flashes of all the times before when he had been this disappointed in her. She felt her heart beat quicken as she looked at him and her eyes widened. He wasn't looking at her anymore, he was holding to his phone and just staring at the floor. "I have to go," he said as he turned, Kyoko feeling her heart pulling at her.

"Are you…sure?" she asked slowly.

"I'm fine," Kuon replied before looking away. Kyoko watched him, she could almost hear the loud slam of the door as she took in his expression. She heard his laugh again. Why was he this childish? Why did he only…

"Kuon?" she asked as he walked away from her, she took a few steps closer to him, "Kuon?" she repeated feeling guilty for making this so hard on him. He was going through more than she could understand and she had just become angry over something much less significant. "Kuon?" she said as she followed him and found that he was ignoring her.

Before she could reach him, he had vanished.

….

….

Kyoko had cried herself to sleep after she had gotten herself home that night. She hadn't eaten very much and blamed herself for what had gone on. If she could have just kept the secret that she was Bo for a little longer, maybe then she would have been able to keep up with Kuon. She hated herself for losing him but she had had to return the costume.

She had hoped to find him at home even if it had led to them yelling at one another. She wouldn't have minded him yelling if she could yell back, if they both got their feelings out then maybe it would all be easier to solve. However, this… she didn't know how to get through him not being there for her and their baby. Perhaps she should have let him go to New York.

"Kuon" Kyoko whispered to herself as she woke up from a nightmare, she blinked as she saw that the bathroom light was on and sat straighter. It had to be him, she didn't remember it being turned on. She opened the door before freezing as she saw the man behind it.

Very calm, brown hair, mature, brown eyes, long legs…

"Oh, Miss Mogami," the man smiled at her as she froze. Kyoko stood in the doorway of the bathroom as she looked over at her husband who was washing his hands. It was like she had seen a ghost. Everything fit as exact as it had been before she had known the truth about who he was. The clothes, the nice designer R. Mandy pieces, the brown hair and eyes and friendly yet professional demeanor and that damn gentleman smile. "Is everything alright?"

Kyoko blinked hard before nodding as if she were in a horror movie. She took a few steps back as she sat on their bed. "It's okay," she whispered to herself, "Kuon is Ren and Ren is Kuon. That's Kuon. That's not Ren, that's Kuon…" she said softly as she squeezed her shoulder to try to get a grip on the situation.

How on earth was Ren Tsuruga back in this house? They had had a _funeral_ for the guy.

"Did I scare you?" Ren no Kuon, _Kuon_ said as Kyoko watched him, the mannerisms, the small details that nobody else knew to look for. This wasn't Kuon, if she was to use acting and psychology as her evidence then this was not Kuon. "I'm sorry, I'll be going to the guest room now," he pointed as Kyoko stared at him.

"This isn't funny," she said to him with a deep frown, "I need my husband to be with me. I need him to stop being captain of the moron parade," she said as she moved her foot from side to side over the floor. Her heart twisted a little as she saw that gentleman smile.

"Husband? You're married?" he asked her as she glared at him.

"Of course, I'm married" she said with her heart drumming in her ears. "Kuon Hizuri, have you ever seen a mirror?" she asked. "I want my husband, Kuon. I want my stupid moron of a husband who even though I am very very angry at right now and think he's kind of a jerk, can't get to sleep properly if I can't reach out and touch him."

The man she was looking at seemed to be having Ren's look of confusion, "Who's Kuon Hizuri?" he asked as Kyoko felt herself scream within her head as her eyes widened in shock and her heartbeat took over the sounds in her head.

...

….

" _So," Yashiro smiled as he stood next to Kuon at the 'Ren Tsuruga memorial' which had been after the 'Ren Tsuruga' funeral. "I'm not going to say that you, or Ren Tsuruga, are not a legendary actor, but I never thought that you'd be okay with a funeral to do with your own name even if it was done by your father."_

" _I couldn't really argue against it," Kuon laughed as he took a bite of some of the fruit that had been put out with the dessert. "I mean, you have my parents," he gestured, "and then you have the president," he gestured again, "and then you have my fiancée," he said as he smiled to Kyoko who seemed to be leading the 'Remember Ren procession' in their talking about stories of the great man._

" _That being said, I think they need to know that you've said goodbye to Ren," Yashiro commented as Kuon smiled._

" _I have something that offers far more protection than Ren ever could," he smiled to Kyoko as she waved to him and then excused herself from the group she was with. He smiled as he stood and wrapped his arms around her, "You didn't have to do this," he said as he kissed her cheek, "but thank you," he whispered as he drew away._

" _You're welcome, but it's not just for me. Ren Tsuruga means a lot to a lot of different people. He was such an inspiration to a lot of us younger actors, many people had Ren Tsuruga posters or merchandise, he was the top actor in Japan many many times. Ren Tsuruga was like a god," she said as she saw Kuon smile weakly. "But if you haven't figured it out, I'm not looking in the market for a god. I'm looking for a fairy prince," she said as she wrapped her arms around him. "I am looking forward to becoming Kyoko Hizuri," she said._

" _I hope you know that after this, Ren Tsuruga won't be there to protect you," Kuon smiled as he looked at her adoringly._

" _I'm glad because otherwise I'd have my fiancé protect me from him. I hope that I will see Kuon Hizuri day after day and that I never see Ren Tsuruga again," she grinned before Kuon kissed the tip of her nose._


	15. Chapter 14 - Kuon, I don't love you

**Author Note:** I'm sorry guys, I like this fic so much that I decided to update again =D I hope you guys will enjoy it. Thanks so much for reading.

 **Chapter Fourteen – I'm sorry, Kuon. I Don't Love You.**

Kyoko hadn't slept the previous night. She didn't know what to say to Kuon, or was it Ren, when he was being this childish. She knew things were hard on him right now, but was this guy supposed to be the father to their child. He definitely wasn't acting very responsible…or maybe he was being too professional, maybe that was the problem. She definitely knew how her husband could get in the bedroom, the king of the night, and she knew how her husband liked to joke around and could casually relax. It was a side of Kuon that she really loved, he hadn't let himself experience certain things as Ren, but Kuon could do anything he wanted.

Ren was a huge part of Kuon and even though Kyoko had fallen in love with Ren, she was obsessed with Kuon, addicted to _that_ love. She deserved to feel hurt that he hadn't included her in something so major as his first chemo treatment. She deserved to have him frustrated about Bo. She did not deserve him _becoming_ Ren Tsuruga.

She wanted her Kuon, her sweet Corn. Even if she was angry at him right now, he was _her_ darling Kuon, her dearest Corn. She wanted her husband. It wasn't a bad desire for an expecting wife to have.

"So," Kanae said as Kyoko pulled out from her thoughts to realize that she was in a café frequented by a lot of celebrities. "Are you just going to stare into space? You pulled me in here and I had to eat two cookies because of you."

"I'm sorry, Moko" Kyoko apologized quickly as she tried not to cry. "I just…I'm not sure what to do. Kuon is…well he's Ren again."

Kanae blinked, "You do know that he can't go back and have people know he's _not_ Kuon Hizuri, doesn't he?" she asked stunned as Kyoko nodded. "So, is he sulking about something."

Kyoko paled, "Well, last night he found out I was Bo, but I was expecting him to get angry about it. I didn't think he'd suddenly think that because I had a secret identity that he wanted his back," she said as she looked at her belly.

"It does seem very immature," Kanae said as she frowned at how good the coffee tasted in this place, "was there anything else that maybe you said or he said…"

"Well," Kyoko fidgeted a little, "I told him that at some moments it's really hard to love him," she said as Kanae sighed.

"So, there's your answer," Kanae told her best friend. "I mean it's true, sometimes it's hard for me to love you, but I always choose your…"

Kyoko's eyes widened, "Moko! That is so mean, I always love you….it's so cruel of," Kyoko closed her eyes and frowned as she saw Kanae nod slowly. "He must have been really hurt hearing that," she admitted. "I mean, I did say I always choose to love him, but does that make it sound like it's a chore and my love is completely superficial because I do love him. I mean, maybe it's because it was hard for me to learn to love again and some days are harder than…"

"It's true for all people, but it's never something you want to hear," Kanae said. She groaned before putting a hand on her stomach. "As much as I hate to use public restrooms, I think I'm going to go," she said as Kyoko stood. "You should stay here and think about what to say to him. I'll be right back."

Kyoko nodded before closing her eyes. It wasn't as if she had said something that wasn't true, but if Kuon had taken it a different way then maybe he had chosen to become Ren again because Ren was easier to love. As ridiculous as it sounded, that actually made a lot of sense.

She sighed, "It wasn't as if I said something rude like…" Kyoko heard the door of the café open but she still kept her eyes closed. "I'm sorry, Kuon. I don't love you. I can't stand to be touched by you and I don't want you around my child," she shook her head. Even those words were giving her chills. No, she would never say such upsetting words as that to him.

She tried to settle herself before she heard the sound of someone clapping and growled. She looked up at that gentleman smile of Ren Tsuruga's and she sat there stunned. The universe was really against her.

"You're getting to be really good at speaking your mind, Mogami-san," he smiled to her. "I was going to come in here to see if you were okay but now I think I'm going to leave," he said as he turned around. Kyoko sat there in shock, she wanted to yell out but her voice was gone, she wanted to run over to him, but she was stuck in place.

Why was the universe so cruel!?

Before Kyoko knew it, it was too late and Ren..Kuon had gone. Tears washed down her face as she remembered when Shoutaro had talked about her in a similar way not knowing that she could hear it. She wondered if Kuon now had that anger directed at her, or would he have any anger since this was Ren and not Kuon? She looked back to see Kanae returning and stood.

"I am so sorry, Moko" she blubbered with tears running down her face.

Kanae stared at her in shock, "They were kind of delicious," she said, "it's not something you need to cry about," Kanae took Kyoko's hand and pulled her up, glad that they had picked a place where you paid when you ordered. She sighed and dragged Kyoko out before the other girl could argue. "So what's going on?" she asked as Kyoko paled.

"I just told Ren that I don't love Kuon," Kyoko said as she tried to hold back the tears.

Kanae stared at her dumbfounded, what on earth happened when she went to the restroom?

….

….

Kyoko had hoped that she would have gone home and caught him in their apartment. She had hoped she would be able to throw her body against the door until he heard reason and logic. Why would she have said these things to him. She loved him.

He had to know how much she loved him.

However, when she had returned home it was obvious that there were two bags gone along with many items that could have fit inside of them. She didn't know whether or not to have Kuon's car tailed, that might be a way of finding him but then it meant that she really didn't trust him. She didn't want to seem like an overly controlling wife.

Then again, Kuon was easiest to get through to when you were face to face with him. She didn't like to compare the two but being married to Kuon and training an animal were the same. You had to find out what they liked, the way they acted, the exact gestures and mannerisms and find a completely new language so you could translate something as subtle as a blink or as loud as the way in which they were smiling. She knew everything about Kuon at this point, well everything about who he was now.

And she also knew that she loved him.

She picked up her phone again, she had already left five voice messages for him, well she had left two for Kuon and three for Ren. The last one had been nearly an hour ago, he obviously didn't want to talk to her but if she could just have five seconds, ten seconds, she knew that she could apologize. She just wanted him back.

"Daddy won't leave us," she told the tiny baby inside of her, "He'll be back. I know he will. He's the most loyal, noble, kindest guy I know." She felt the tears pick up in her eyes again. "I love him," she said as she felt it so painfully. "Daddy is so excited about meeting you," Kyoko said as she placed Kuon's baby blanket over her belly and tried to reach her husband again.

She dialed the number she had been using and waited, she wanted to get the tears out of her eyes and make everything seem calm and casual in her voice. She needed to be welcoming him and not trying to push him away or make him hang up.

She frowned as she heard the words on the other end of the phone line.

"We're sorry. This phone number has been disconnected."

Kyoko stared wide eyed in front of her. She didn't know what this meant. She wasn't the only one who had that phone number, Kuu and Julie definitely did, but then all sorts of other people did as well. She shivered terrified of the message before calling Kuon's professional line.

"We're sorry. The contract with this user has been terminated, thanks for using Soft Bank."

Kyoko's eyes widened, she didn't know any other lines other than the home line. Where was he? Why was he going to such extreme measures?

She stood feeling her body being broken and immediately sat down again, her eyes went to her belly and she cried. She was going to ruin this baby's life. She had already driven her loving husband away, she was going to harm her child too. She curled up in a ball as she tried to protect the baby. She should never have been angry at him, it wasn't worth it. She should have just done whatever he wanted.

Reaching for her phone she closed her eyes before going to her contact list but her thumb slid onto the news by mistake. Her heart broke as she read the top headline in the celebrity section.

' **Unhappy with her relationship. Not in love with her husband. Disgusted by his health. Hizuri Kyoko initiates early divorce with her husband Hizuri Kuon/Tsuruga Ren.'**

Kyoko's eyes scanned over all of the lines on the article as she felt that she was going to have a panic attack. She felt the tears in her eyes and her chest drew in. There was no breath left in her body. She fell to the side and sobbed. Why was everything so wrong, so distorted? Everything was so broken and painful and she couldn't do it anymore.

The media was going to hate her. Everyone was going to blame her for Kuon's unhappiness, Kuon's retreat from acting, Kuon's….death by heartbreak. She needed to make sure he was safe. What really got to her was when she reached out for the nightstand and saw Kuon's wedding ring drop onto the carpeted floor.

She held it in her hand. He had been here and left her this, he had left her something so precious and she had no idea how to get it back to him. He had left her, he had left them. She thought about how he had looked on their wedding day and took deep breaths in and out as she repeated his vows in her head. He had told her that he loved her and he had just run. He wasn't even fighting with her anymore.

He had left her and their child and how could she even trust him to look after himself. He was going to die. He was going to die and she wouldn't even be able to help him. All she had wanted was to help him, to love him.

"Kuon, please…please come back," she begged weakly as she stared at his ring and felt her tears pull her towards sleep. Before she had fallen asleep she heard the sound of two voices outside but she didn't recognize them due to her emotional pain. She just really hoped one of those voices was his. She smiled gently as she heard a key in the lock. He was coming home, he was here.

"Thank you," she whispered before falling asleep.

The last thing that she noticed was a concerned but loving voice, a pair of long legs, and blond hair.


	16. Chapter 15 - Shou some forgiveness

**Author Note:** I wasn't planning on updating so fast on this fic but after hearing people hated my last chapter 0.0 felt that unless I got this one out fast I might get scared of writing it at all. Well I hope people don't hate this one as much

 **Chapter Fifteen – Shou some forgiveness**

Kyoko was glad that when she had woken up after the panic attack that she was with her parents, or at least with her husband's parents, but she had wished that Kuu really was Kuon. She still wanted him here despite him leaving. She just hoped that he would come to his senses soon rather than acting from a feeling of frustration and rejection. He would sometimes get too caught up in his own head and if she still had Bo then maybe she could still talk to him and get him to come around. Now she was out of tricks and had to live with the consequences. The man she was madly, deeply, maybe even foolishly in love with believed she disliked him and didn't want him.

Right now she was alone in their apartment, which seemed far too big and daunting for her alone. Whilst lying in their bed she looked at her phone and felt her heart break. He would never return her calls if she didn't know _where_ to call him. Things felt so much worse than when she had first met Ren Tsuruga. She didn't care who he was at this point, she just wanted his arms, his chest, his warmth.

Nervously she went onto the user name and then pressed the call button. She stared at in in shock, she couldn't hear those words again, she couldn't listen to that auto-

"Hey," she heard a too familiar voice sigh on the other end of the phone line. "Listen, I listened to your messages. I'm sorry," she heard him say as her eyes widened. The way he had just sighed right then was more of a Kuon sigh than a Ren sigh. She wanted to desperately believe it was Kuon.

"Hey," she squeaked, "I call—I called by accident," she said as she sat up in the bed.

"Should I hang up then?" he asked as her eyes widened.

"No. Please, please don't hang up," Kyoko pleaded as she used both hands to clutch to the phone. "Please just give me a chance to apo-"

"I should be the one apologizing, Kyoko" Kuon sighed as she realized which version she was talking to. "I shouldn't have left. I should have been able to get my head wrapped around this. I don't ever want to be the guy who leaves his wife and unborn child. I really am sorry."

Kyoko laughed lightly from relief, "I knew I was marrying someone who could be…"

"A fool?" Kuon asked from the other end of the line.

"Well, I wasn't going to say that word, but if you want to go with that," Kyoko smiled as she held to the phone. She just wanted him back. She wanted him to come back and hold her. She knew that this was a major fight and she was of course angry at him, but if he came back then they could make this work again.

"Are you doing okay, Kyoko?" Kuon asked as Kyoko heard the anxiety and concern in his voice. She nodded before realizing he couldn't see her.

"I'm missing my husband and the father to our child, but other than that I'm okay. Are you?" she said as she started to think of what had started this drama between them. She wondered if he had already gone for a second chemo treatment. She knew how hard the first one had been on him, she shouldn't have pushed him afterwards.

"I'm okay, I have another appointment coming up," Kuon said as Kyoko nodded. Would he even want her to discuss it with him let alone come.

"I'm sure you'll do fine," she said as she looked at the wedding ring that she had set down next to the Corn stone. "You're so strong…Kuon" she said slowly hoping she had chosen the right name. He was talking to her as his wife, but maybe she needed to think of herself as Ren's wife.

"I'll do even better if my wife can come with me," she heard him say honestly. "Kyoko, I really really am apologetic about all of this. I suppose I acted from my emotions again instead of logic."

Kyoko closed her eyes, "You're forgiven and I'm sorry too, but you have to tell me the moment you have the cancer in remission so that I can slap you."

"Deal," Kuon nodded. "So, did you want me to…"

"Please come home?" Kyoko half asked and half begged, she was relieved when she heard her husband sigh in relief.

"Thanks for being as supportive and understanding as always," he told her with a grateful smile, "I love you."

"I love you too," Kyoko grinned before saying goodbye on the phone. She hung up and started crying again but this time she was happy. She was so angry at him, but she would get him back. She would get her wonderful, idiotic, sweet, blind, passionate, impulsive husband back. How could she not be happy?

She looked at herself in the mirror, she was a complete wreck. She needed to shower and clean up otherwise it might drive him off again.

….

….

Kyoko had just put on some new clothes after her shower when she heard a knock on the door. She paused and went over to the door. She hoped it was him. He wasn't being stupid and not using his key but perhaps he wasn't sure of whether he would be allowed in. She opened the door before her eyes widened at _that_ guy.

"Shou, how did you find this place?" Kyoko asked as she stared at her childhood friend. The two had created a weird and mutual almost friendship over the years but she still didn't want him here at this moment. She wanted to be ready for Kuon and Kuon always had a problem with this guy.

"You do know you put the return address on that package you sent me some months ago," Shou shrugged. "So, you're not with that guy anymore."

Kyoko looked at the idiot in front of her. "I _am_ with Kuon. You shouldn't believe everything that the press says especially in celebrity gossip columns. So, your new single seems to be doing well," she said as she looked down. "Congrats," she shrugged.

"You say that so casually, but I'm sure you get some wine and cake for whenever your husband is mentioned as a top actor. You're so predictable," Shou said. "I came over in case you needed to be comforted."

Kyoko looked away. "I don't need _you_ to comfort me. I need my husband. Plus, Kuon doesn't even eat a lot of cake…or pudding," she tested him as Shou rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure that you still get one for him with a cutesy message even if it's only a small one," Shou commented as Kyoko looked away not wanting to admit that she did. It was one of those cakes that was twice the size of a cupcake and they had told her numerous times the messages she had wanted to put on were too long.

Kyoko looked up and her eyes widened as she saw a, once again, blond standing there in the hallway. She pushed Shou back before running up to Kuon and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Oh my god," she said as he held her close. "You're back. You're really back and here," she said as he looked to her.

"I'm sorry," he apologized again as she lightly batted at his chest.

"Don't make me worry about you so much," she said as she pushed her head into his chest. She was glad he was there, she would always be glad that he was there. "Stupid Kuon."

Kuon kissed the top of her head as he combed his fingers through her hair. "I am so sorry," he apologized to her again before looking over at Shou. "So, Fuwa's here," he commented before giving a mocking smile which Kyoko didn't see. He had told Kyoko that if she really wanted to try to be friends with Shou that he would support that, but only if she supported the fact that he _didn't_ want to be friends with him.

"He just came over," Kyoko said. "I didn't invite him. I didn't know he was going to be here, please don't leave?" she asked as Shou shrugged.

"I guess I'll leave, I'll see you around, Kyoko" he said before glaring at Kuon and Kyoko felt her body relax as she was alone with the love of her life.

"I'm still angry at you, stupid Kuon" she said as he nodded, gently pressing her head to his chest again and rubbing her back in a way that comforted her. "I am going to be angry at you at least until you put this on," she said as she held up his ring.

Kuon nodded, "I really am sorry," he said as he let her slip it onto his finger again. "I thought I was hurting you. I've had trouble loving myself, I just didn't want you to…"

Kyoko frowned before reaching up and lightly slapping his cheek before standing there with confidence. "Sometimes you make me exhausted, Kuon, but I never stop loving you. I never stop wanting you there with me, wanting to watch you sleeping, needing you to hold me close. I always love you. I just wish you'd believe that, I know you have trouble loving yourself some of the time, but in my heart you're it. You have my love every second of every minute of every hour of every day. I go to sleep remembering how much I love you and every time I wake up and realize I'm married to you, I love you even more."

"I never have problems loving you," Kuon said as Kyoko looked away.

"Maybe I should be more demanding and then you will," she grinned before kissing him again. "You have no clue how happy I am right now. You hurt me, Kuon, but now you're here. You are here and I don't want you anywhere else."

Kuon nodded. "Thank you," he said as she sighed.

"Stupid Kuon," she repeated as he laughed. Kyoko paled as she saw him enter their apartment, "I…" she said embarrassed, "I was really depressed and I…I didn't take proper care of the cleaning," she said. "I…everything is a bit of a mess inside."

She looked at her husband hoping he wouldn't just turn around and walk out, but he nodded understandingly and smiled. "Should we clean up together?" he asked as Kyoko felt her heart beat strongly. He wasn't judging her or scolding her. She nodded and reached for his hand.

"You don't know how tiring it is being pregnant when you're not by my side. I hope our little one never has to go through that, they will need their daddy," she smiled as he started to clean up. As much as she wanted to just watch him moving around in their apartment, she needed to get to work on cleaning up as well.

She was just so happy to have him home.

"Kuon," she said gently as she went to see him after picking up all the laundry. "Would you like to go away in a month or so, if the treatments are going well. I'll be finished with my acting commitments at that time and I think it would do both of us some good to relax," she watched him with a small smile.

"Okay," he nodded looking at her, "Where do you want to go?"

Kyoko looked down nervously, "Would Kyoto be okay?" she asked as she saw him tense. She wondered whether he was thinking that she wanted to go visit her old home as well as Shou's old home and his family. She wondered if it was too much of a stretch for him. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything.

"We can stay in a hotel, right?" he asked as she watched him.

"Y-Yes," she grinned as he nodded. "Thank you," she smiled before going over to hug him again. She held him close, never wanting to let go of her moronic but incredible husband.


	17. Chapter 16 - Slow Movements

**Author Note:** Hey guys, I know I haven't updated this in some time, but I've been dealing with a bullying and harassment issue at work since January that I can't feel anything other than depression over. Also, I was kind of scared of updating this because I don't like when people say they hate my work or that one particular story means they don't want to read any of my future ones. Well, I hope you enjoy

 **Chapter Sixteen – Slow Movements**

Kuon sat very still in the president's office at LME. Somehow he had been able to catch word of what was happening between Kuon and Kyoko. Well, of course he had been able to get the full scoop of the gossip and it showed on Lory's face. Lory was currently dressed as an American mob boss, but the real terror had nothing to do with his outfit. He watched the young actor as he moved the ice from side to side in his glass.

"So," Lory said as he looked at the blond on the sofa, "You have some explaining to do."

Kuon sighed and closed his eyes, setting two fingers on his forehead. "I've already spoken with Kyoko. We've discussed how I was wrong and impulsive to not have her there. We talked about my irrationality to do with leaving her and trying to form the character of Ren again. You already expressed your opinions about my immaturity and deception, could we just, I don't know, move on from this?" he asked out of exhaustion.

Lory hummed as he watched the actor and then felt his body settle back into the chair.

"Well, would you have been happier going to New York?" he asked. "Did you really consider the treatment better or were you just scared about the illness? Scared how _she_ would react and see the illness. I know you've kept some things from her in the past," the president said as Kuon could feel his eyes surveying him and questioning him.

Kuon looked down, he had thought about the second part but he hadn't had anyone tell him they suspected those thoughts.

"She's always looked up to me," Kuon said as he looked down, feeling the weight of the illness on his back. "I can't have her think things that will ruin her view on me. The darkness is starting to return with the pain, if Kyoko was witness to that."

Lory shrugged, "She was witness to Cain Heel, wasn't she?" he asked as Kuon frowned.

"As uncontrollable as Cain was he was only the first part of my old self," the blond commented. "If it wasn't for this illness, this cancer, I would be acting completely differently about my circumstances. You have no idea how thrilled I was when I heard that she was pregnant, that we were going to be parents. Then my mother was the one to remind me that I might not be there for my kid. I might not even be able to see them, let alone hold them when they are born."

"So you've been running from that?" Lory asked before standing up with a deep sigh.

Kuon looked after the older man as he took a few measured steps over to the window and looked down at the city below them. Kuon tensed on the sofa, he was unsure whether or not to stand and look at the city as well or just stay on the sofa with his own thoughts spinning around in his head so fast it would make a professional ballerina jealous.

It wasn't the only idea that he was bolting from. Kuon really didn't want to look in the mirror and see himself as a patient rather than the strong actor that he used to be, that he was known for. Already the effects of the chemo had started and his hair was thinning. The dye he had used to switch identities had even hurt him there. His breaths weren't as strong as they had been in the past and his body was exhausted.

Through all of his self-focused anxiety however, he was forgetting _her_. He was forgetting how hard it must be on _her_ to be pregnant and dealing with being on the sidelines. He wanted to keep his pain secret, but his body was announcing it to the world.

How could he have not wanted to hide away from her?

….

….

"You know," Julie smiled at her daughter as Kyoko looked through a photo album with pictures of her husband as a baby and toddler, "The two of us really need to go shopping together," she grinned. "I mean, I fully support and encourage you and Kuon to take some time to look at baby clothes and baby items, but it would be nice to pass down some of my knowledge," she said.

Kyoko smiled weakly as she tried not to think about her own mother or how, despite news getting out about her pregnancy, her mother hadn't contacted her. She had actually been foolish enough to think that meeting with her as an adult would come with some change in how her mother would reach out in important moments.

There were now two important moments, her being pregnant with her first child and her husband having a very serious illness.

"That would be nice, Julie" Kyoko said as she looked off into the distance.

She wanted to tell herself that her thoughts were about the fear of Kuon getting weaker during the treatment, she wanted to remind herself that her worries were about her husband, but it wasn't completely true.

Her fear was about not being a family and Kuon had definitely shaken her trust recently.

"Do you think he's happy?" Kyoko asked as she looked up at her mother in law from where she was sitting, having been reading over a script.

Julie turned to her, "You mean Kuon?" she asked before pausing for some time. After thinking about it, Julie sat down opposite her daughter. "About the fact that you two are going to be having a child, absolutely. I can tell you how happy and excited Kuu and I are," she tried to change the subject but caught Kyoko staring at the table.

"Kuon, has he ever been sick like this before?" she asked.

During the time, very early back when they were getting to know each other for the second time, Ren had insisted that he didn't get sick and it had seemed that he wasn't even used to the symptoms. However, Ren, though not as strong an actor as Kuon, was amazing at covering things up.

Julie shook her head before taking a deep breath and trying to hold back her tears. "Did Kuon ever tell you about his uncle?" she asked, "He only knew him very briefly, but I'm wondering if he said anything to you?" she asked.

"About…Kuu's brother?" Kyoko asked.

Despite how much they loved one another, Kuon had told her very little about the extended family, but she had put things together and knew that Kuu probably wasn't an only child. In fact, hadn't there been some magazine who had mentioned at least one sibling?

"No," Julie took a breath in, "Mine."

Kyoko shook her head, "not really, Kuon doesn't really talk about his past too much. He only really talks about things that are close by, things that are happening in the near future or the present, there's still a lot that he _hasn't_ been able to tell me."

There was a moment of silence before Julie seemed to enter a state of depression, her wide eyes showing all the pain that was inside of her. "I had a brother," she told Kyoko. "He was a really good guy, very positive, very sweet, was one of those people that love life and just embraced it. Well, he died from cancer when Kuon wasn't even a teenager. That's what might make this so much worse for him. He knows he will most likely," Julie couldn't bring herself to say the next word.

Standing quickly, the older woman put her hand on the table, "Excuse me," she said as she tried to hold back on the tears. This caused Kyoko to wrap an arm around herself as she attempted to hold back her own sobs and fear.

Taking her by surprise, Kyoko heard the keys in the front door and looked up to see her husband standing there. Feeling everything within her run colder due to the fear, Kyoko ran towards her husband and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so angry at you," she whispered as he pulled her in towards his chest. He didn't know how to respond to that, but he let her cry as he held her.

Kyoko placed a hand on her stomach as he held her.

She wanted more than anything for him to survive this, for him to be able to see and interact with his kid. She wanted them to have the kind of fun and sweet memories that only Kuon had been able to show her. She felt his hand through her hair.

"What is it?" he finally asked her as she closed her eyes, trying to remember everything about the way that he held her.

"We should go out to dinner with Moko," Kyoko said, trying to avoid saying what she really wanted to.

Kuon slowly nodded as he kept her close, "Sure," he said trying stay calm, "We can do that."

….

….

Kyoko woke up in the middle of the night. She couldn't remember if she had just had a dream, but she did know that she needed to make sure that her husband was alright. She was scared that he might have died and she would have to do the scariest thing in her life alone, raise a child.

She smiled as she saw the exhausted blond next to her and reached out to touch him. He was sick, that she already knew, but it was times like these that she realized how sick he was.

As she switched on a light and put it on a dim setting so as not to hurt his eyes and wake him up, Kyoko sat there and looked over the man she adored. She hated to say this but compared to how he was, he looked weak. Everyone knew that he had lost weight, but he had lost muscle as well. He no longer had that very toned chest and, though it didn't matter to her, he wasn't the model that he used to be.

She saw him shivering and mentally told herself that she needed to find a blanket or quilt that could keep him warmer. Reaching out to touch his forehead, she sighed as she felt her hand come away with some of his blond strands and the knowledge that he was cold and clammy.

She sighed as she watched him again, her heart wanting to create a loving warmth and a bubble in which she could continuously protect him. She wanted to find some solution to this, some kind of magic tape and scissors and patch him up with some glue, but she just had to wait.

She hated the anger she felt about not knowing what was going on _inside_ of his body since he wouldn't tell her. Him _not_ telling her was bad. It was making it so that she felt that she couldn't trust him to take care of himself, it left her worrying that she might never know his sickness until it was too late.

She hated all of these stupid secrets that they held between one another.

Maybe there was a way of resolving this, maybe there was a way of having him help her help him before he became part of the nothingness. She didn't want to lose him, but if he was already pulling himself away from her, he was already gone.

In the morning, she would try to think of what made him happy.

Maybe if he was happy things would start to improve. At least, that's what she had to hope for.


	18. Chapter 17 - Like a Bond Villain

**Author Note:** Sorry that this took so long to update. I've been having to deal with an array of problems this year that has made it harder for me to write as much as I want to. I hope you enjoy this chapter even though it is shorter than I wanted it to be. I hope that you also enjoy the good news written in.

 **Chapter Seventeen – Like a Bond Villain**

Kyoko sat nervously outside of the bathroom waiting for Kuon. She had already made a schedule of Kuon's treatments and a new thing that they could do for their new arrival each day. Despite Kuon's objections, Kyoko had gone to Lory and told him that she wanted to take time off as soon as possible and it was only a few more weeks until she could be by her husband's side.

She knew that he was having problems with the treatments and today would be another one. She was very glad that he was being honest with her. She had phoned all the doctors that she could for information about what she had missed the first time along with any new medical information they were ready to share with her.

After her work assignments were done she was willing to handcuff her husband to her to prove to him that he had to stay by her side. There was no excuse for his actions otherwise. Standing her ground, Kyoko looked up as she heard the door open and saw her husband standing there with his bald head. She smiled at him and stood up.

It was definitely a change. Kyoko's mind kept looking at him, with the shaved head she could picture him as Ren Tsuruga but she could also see _her_ Kuon Hizuri. She saw him nervously run his hand over it and the anxious expression and so walked over to him. She placed one hand on his cheek and leaned to her tiptoes to kiss him passionately.

"You look hot still," she smiled, "I'm sure you could play some of those classic villain roles," she grinned as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Really? You think I look like a Bond villain?" he asked before smiling. "You're sure I don't look like a giant baby."

"Well, you sometimes are a giant baby, Kuon," she teased him. "As for your looks, no, I don't think that. Remember we still have your Ren Tsuruga wig that was made for you when you were playing Cain Heel. Lory also wanted to remind you that he will be able to get you a wig that will look exactly like your Kuon hair, but I like this," she said to him. "It makes you look s-"

"Sick," Kuon cut her off. "I know, it's only highlighting my illness, it's going to make it hard to dodge the media's questions about it. They'll just zone in on -"

Kyoko frowned and shook her head before interrupting her husband, it was only fair after he cut her off. "It makes you look strong. It makes me feel safe that you're not going to run away again. You look like a fighter and I know you can win. I am not going to lose the hope that I have in my heart. You are Kuon Hizuri and you take on challenges."

Kuon smiled nervously before placing a hand on Kyoko's ever growing stomach.

"I'm so sorry that I've been acting like a child. I want to focus on your pregnancy, I really do. That is our child in there and I haven't been respecting him or her the way that I should," Kuon kissed the top of Kyoko's head and pulled her in as close as possible. "Oh and the doctor called me last night and told me some news. I'm sorry I waited until now to tell you. I would have told you then if you hadn't been asleep."

"It's good news I hope," Kyoko sniffed, "My heart can't take any more bad news, but I want to know so please tell me."

Kuon smiled softly, "They tell me that my prognosis looks better. They tell me that there's a good chance that I can beat this."

Kyoko had tears flowing through her eyes as she gently pushed her husband in the chest. "Oh my god, Kuon" she laughed. "That is the news that you wake your wife up for, no excuses. That's great," she said before trying to brush away her tears. "Tomorrow if you're not too exhausted from your treatment today you have to tell Kuu and Julie. I want to hear their relief, no excuses."

Kuon looked at his wife and nodded, "Alright," he smiled as well, "I promise to do so."

….

….

Kyoko thanked the doctor as she brought some more water and ice chips to Kuon in the bed. She didn't want to admit it but when she had seen the 'drug cocktail' she had felt anxiety building up within her whole body. She didn't like knowing that her husband was sick but seeing the drugs that he was taking, that were working their way into his body to try to help his stomach. She wanted there to be something that she could do other than sitting by Kuon's side.

"You want to watch TV?" she asked before he shook his head.

She didn't want to demand that he answer her with words, but it troubled her that he didn't. She wasn't going to be one of those wives who pressure their husbands to talk. If Kuon wanted to talk to her then he could, otherwise she would just talk to him unless he requested she didn't.

"I'm so proud of you," she told him with a warm smile. "You are such a strong person, Kuon," she said as she placed a hand gently on his bald head. "You're always my hero, my prince," she smiled before digging out the plans that she had made that morning. "I have something to show you," she beamed as he looked up at her and reached out for the paper.

"What's this?" he asked, his voice showing his weakness but still the continuing fight within him.

"This is a loose schedule of things we can do to think about the baby, I know that we haven't had a chance to do very much but I thought maybe if we did some of these things it would be a lot of fun. I think you're going to be an amazing dad, Kuon," Kyoko smiled. "So, do you have any requests? I have one," she grinned.

"I have one too," Kuon smiled before looking at her, "Want to go first?" he asked seeming tired and Kyoko looked down. She wanted to hear his idea but she didn't want to push him. It seemed that he was trying to keep awake and she didn't want to push him and have his strength reduced.

"I'd like to give the baby the middle name of his father," Kyoko smiled as Kuon blinked in surprise. "I haven't thought of many first names that would be in my top three choices, but I really want them to have the middle name Kuon. That happens to be my favorite name," she said before letting her hand touch his cheek. "I mean, if the baby is a boy of course."

Kuon smiled before looking down, "I'm okay with that, but I feel a little guilty about what I was going to ask."

Kyoko blinked. Hopefully she hadn't pushed him to agree with it. Then again she had never expected him to return with the same request. "Okay, Kuon," she said. "Whatever it is, I want to hear it truthfully from your lips."

"I was going to ask if it was a girl, the middle name," he took a labored breath and Kyoko was determined to let him finish and then encourage him to try to take a nap. "I'd like it to be Julie."

Kyoko grinned excitedly, "That's so much better than Kyoko," she said as he looked at her. "Of course, I want to tell Julie right away but we can do that tomorrow if you're feeling alright. Now you need to sleep and get some rest. I promise that I will not move from this spot until you wake up."

"If you need to use the…" Kuon said as she nodded but then relaxed in the chair.

…..

…..

Kyoko smiled as she watched Kuon sleep for the second hour. She had busied herself with looking through a couple of the pregnancy books that Julie had given her. As much as she wanted to be a good mother, overcoming the fears that she had had from her childhood was taking some hard work. She tried to think of the best things that had happened to her and her eyes would always draw towards the man in the hospital bed.

Corn was…amazing. Even though she must have burdened him with problems that he didn't know how to respond with, he would always ask her what had happened and what was wrong. He could have gone to another place but Kyoko suspected that he hung out in their secret space just to wait for her in case she needed him.

Maybe it was the fact that he was willing to make that sacrifice for her that led to her thinking that he was a fairy. In a time when she would be ignored by Shou and locked out of her own house by her mother, it was refreshing that she had Corn beside her. Their time together had been short during that part of her life, but the time that she had spent with Ren Tsuruga, her idol and then Kuon Hizuri, her true and first love, were much longer.

She was definitely lucky to have someone like Corn be her husband.

When she and Kuon had first started dating she had had to deal with Shoutaro approaching her and reminding her that she should go back to Kyoto and work in his family's inn for the rest of her life. He had been aghast when she had sidestepped him by mentioning that she wasn't dating Ren Tsuruga, she was acting as if she was dating Ren in front of the cameras but Ren was a stage name and she was actually dating his secret name that Shou was too stupid to know.

She had loved that she had been able to manipulate the situation like that.

Kyoko was surprised to hear a noise behind her and she looked back expecting it to be Yashiro who had said that he might drop by to see how Kuon was doing. She was enraged to find that it was someone she absolutely detested. Shou wasn't too bad, Shou had redeeming value to him, _this_ man was a demon beagle sent from hell by Lucifer.

"Get the hell out," she said as she came over to the door. She called the button for the nurse. "How _dare_ you come here," Kyoko continued trying hard not to disturb Kuon despite her anger increasing rapidly. "I don't care how much you want me or how scared you are of my husband when he's at his best. You do _not_ come here when my husband is going through his treatment."

"Be careful," Reino smiled, "Any anger from you might make his condition harder to cope with. You wouldn't want to disturb him."

Kyoko glared. "Even if I got angry, my husband would still prefer me to be here over you. Get the hell out you damn beagle," she said as she was glad to see a doctor approaching. "Call security," she growled. "This man is not allowed near my husband, he is an enemy of ours. He is certainly not welcome, why did you come here anyway?" she asked trying to block him from seeing Kuon.

"Don't you know, it's a passion of mine seeing a dying body. I like to see it before it rots away to decay. I like to feel the life force drawn out of it."

Kyoko felt that sentence kick the wind out of her lungs but she refused to cry in front of him.

They had said that the prognosis was getting better; didn't they?


	19. Chapter 18 - Hope

**Author Note:** It kind of makes me sad to think that Kyoko and Kuon are not going to last and that Kuon is continually lying to her. I think it's my bad writing that makes some people wary about them but I hope in the future I can assure people of my love for this couple.

 **Chapter Eighteen – Hope**

Kyoko felt terrified even though the security was removing Reino from the hallway. That morning, Kuon had told her that his prognosis looked good. He had said that the doctors saw promise that he would live and pull through. Then _that_ guy had shown up. That guy was scary, not only had he once kidnapped a 'grudge' as he called it, but he had predicted things about Corn from a _stone_.

She looked back at her husband and then frowned. Was he lying to her or trying to tell her that he was less sick so that she wouldn't worry about him? She reached out and touched his forehead to feel his temperature and then tested his pulse. They were a little _off_ but he was in the middle of his second chemo treatment so that might account for it.

Kyoko looked up at a doctor as he entered the room to check on Kuon and she gave a sigh of relief. "Doctor," she said nervously as he nodded. Even though this wasn't Kuon's main doctor, maybe this one had been asked to cover a shift, she still thought that he would be briefed on a high profile patient like her husband. "Can I ask you how my husband is really doing?" she asked as the tears sparkled in her eyes.

The doctor paused before smiling, "Your husband is looking good. All the tests, though they can't tell us what will happen in the future, point to your husband doing well. He's very strong, I mean everyone know that Kuon Hizuri is physically strong, but I can assure you his internal strength is just as strong as his external."

Kyoko smiled. So Reino had really been messing with her, maybe he knew that Kuon wasn't going to die but telling her otherwise would make her a wreck like this. She was so glad that she spoke up and asked.

"Does that answer your question?" the doctor asked making a few notes on Kuon's chart.

"Yes," Kyoko nodded with a smile. "Yes, it does. Thank you so much," she said before seeing Kuon wake up. "Hey, my sweet Corn, how are you feeling?"

"Weak," Kuon said as he looked at the doctor but then turned his attention to Kyoko. "I think I'd like to spend the rest of the day in bed," he told her as Kyoko nodded. She was worried about him, but the doctor had given her the answer that she had longed for.

"You can do that," Kyoko smiled to him trying to stop the worry on her face. "I can just make you some soup and then I promise that I'll be…."

"Sorry, I must have misspoken," Kuon smiled to her, "Can _we_ spend the rest of the day in bed?" he asked as Kyoko laughed and nodded with a huge smile.

"I'll look forward to it," she said. She probably would have a book ready on her bedside table for when Kuon fell asleep, but she wanted to be in her husband's arms and she wanted to talk to him. She was sick of there being such secrecy between them. Maybe just being there for each other would give them a time to open up.

Kyoko smiled again as she felt Kuon reach out for her hand and give it a light squeeze.

Oh god, how she loved him.

…..

…..

Kyoko had spent most of the previous day in Kuon's arms whilst he slept. They had discussed his dreams, her dreams, what they wanted with the baby, what they should do to prepare for the baby. Most of the time was spent with him asleep and her watching him and talking to him about how important he was to her and how much she loved him.

She had gone to sleep that night with her head upon his chest and that had caused her neck to hurt a little. It was worth it though, she had been able to listen to his heart beat, she had been able to feel each inhale and exhale.

In short, she had made sure that the man she loves still was in this world, her world.

Today she was attempting to set up a conversation with her parents in law. She had promised them that after each treatment that he went through, she would contact the Hizuris and they would be able to talk to their son that they were very worried about.

Connecting to the other side, Kyoko smiled as she saw Kuu there, "Hi, father" she smiled to him. "Is this a good time to talk."

"Of course" Kyoko heard Julie's response before Kuu could get any words out. "We're eager to hear about how it went. It was alright, right?"

"It was okay," Kuon coughed as Kyoko brought their computer to the bed so they could have the conversation between the four of them.

"You really can pull off any hair style, can't you?" Kuu asked as he gave his son a thumbs up. Kyoko was more worried about how Kuon would take the tears that were in Julie's eyes at seeing her son with a shaved head. It was true that he looked ill after he had gone through the treatment, but she really hoped that Julie's reaction wouldn't hurt Kuon too badly.

"I was losing my hair anyway," Kuon coughed as Julie seemed to tense up hearing that, "So I thought I'd just shave it off. So, we've got some news from the doctors. They said that I'm handling the treatment well and that the outlook for my condition has improved. They say it might only be a few months until they do the surgery."

Kuu smiled at that and heard his wife gasp so squeezed her hand.

"That's wonderful news," she said. "So, you'll hopefully be able to be a dad. How is the baby, Kyoko? With all the news about Kuon we barely get to talk about them."

Kyoko smiled softly, "The baby is developing well. We don't know the sex yet, but no matter if it's a boy or a girl, I'm excited. I know that Kuon is excited too. I wish I could know earlier so we could pick out a color scheme for the baby's room," she grinned.

"You'll let us know, right?" Julie asked excitedly. "I can't wait to show you some of the designs that I had in mind, or some suggestions I could give you."

"Thanks mom," Kuon nodded. "We appreciate it, we'd love to see them but if it's a girl we're thinking of some princess or fairy items."

"What do you mean if it's a girl, Kuon," Kyoko grinned as she poked his shoulder playfully, "I'd love to include those things even if it's a boy."

Kuon playfully looked at her before yawning as his parents noticed how tired the second chemo treatment had caused him to be.

Kuu grinned as he watched the two of them, he looked to Julie and then turned to his son. "I'm so glad that you two appear to be doing so well. You will keep us informed on any news, won't you?" he asked as Kyoko nodded.

"I promise to, father" she said before smiling. "It was good to talk to the two of you, but I think Kuon needs to rest a little more," she said as both of the older Hizuris nodded.

"You two take care of yourselves, alright?" Kuu asked. "If you need us for anything we'll be happy to fly out and come to see you."

"Anything," Julie tried to emphasize, "We love you both, be safe and make sure to take care of each other," she said.

"We will," Kyoko nodded. "We'll call again soon."

"Love you two," Kuon nodded and as Kyoko disconnected the call, he fell back in the bed. He watched as his wife put the computer down and then wrapped her arms around him. She kissed his cheek and then let her body get close to him.

"I adore you, Corn" she said as he looked at her.

"Well, I love you more than I could ever explain," he returned before letting himself fall asleep beside her.

…..

…..

As Kuon was asleep, Kyoko stood up and went to do some chores around the house. She had to go to work late that afternoon, but she had already arranged that Yashiro spend some time with Kuon as well as keep an eye on the house. She knew that Yashiro was the best person to ask. He was more than a manager to Kuon and he was worried about him on a personal level much more than a professional level.

She was going to make Kuon a smoothie. She didn't want to force him and even soup might be too difficult to eat, but the doctor had recommended her a book of smoothies for patients who were going through chemotherapy treatments. She would select the ones that looked best and make them for her husband.

She was doing a little bit of dusting in the living room and decided that since Kuon might be sleeping for a while, it wouldn't hurt if she checked out what was going on in the world. She just hoped that the media respected Kuon enough to leave him alone.

No such luck.

She paled as she saw a talk show couple talking to that darn beagle.

"So," the woman smiled as she leaned in towards Reino who was supposed to be discussing his new single as a duo rather than a full band. "Is there anything new happening in your life? Any new gossip?"

Reino cast her a slight glare that Kyoko recognized as a look that he would give an inferior being. Why were these blonds in her life such asses, well there might be a few who weren't. "I'm going to have a girlfriend very soon," he commented.

"Wow, so you actually found a girl damaged enough to go out with a beagle like you?" Kyoko said as she shook her head. She would never be surprised with how many dumb individuals this world had. What kind of a woman hated herself enough to agree to date someone like that?

"Oh, interesting, does this lucky girl have a name?" the reporter asked.

"Of course," Reino said as he smiled to the camera in a cold and distant manner. "Hizuri Kyoko."

"What the!?" Kyoko asked loudly before realizing that Kuon was still asleep. She did not want to wake him when he was recovering. He was ill and this would make him feel worse. She didn't even want to tell him about this although Yashiro most likely would when he was over.

"A married woman?" the male host asked. "We all know that she's married to and expecting the baby of Kuon Hizuri. I bet everyone in Japan has heard of _that_ news."

Reino gave a cruel smile before saying words that Kyoko didn't want to hear _especially_ on live TV, "How can a dead man provide for a family? I was at the hospital yesterday and that man does not have any life energy left. I give him another three weeks before he's dead."

Kyoko felt her hand clench into a fist. "You ass," she hissed as she felt the anger run free through her body. He was lying, the doctors had said that he was lying. Kuon wasn't going to die and she couldn't believe that he had given such an open statement on a talk show. What on earth was that damn beagle doing on a talk show anyway!? Wouldn't he consider them terrible and only used for public stunts.

She looked back towards her bedroom. Kuon was healing, he was going to get better but what if he got stressed from watching things like this? What kind of pressure would be on him with Japanese people making bets on whether or not he was going to live. She couldn't let him see this. He might even die from the stress and the energy that he might use up on such trivial things.

"Don't worry, little one," she said as she placed a hand on her growing stomach. "Daddy will be just fine. You'll see."

 _Please_ , she begged silently, _Please pull through this Kuon. Don't let that demon get to you._


	20. Chapter 19 - Finally Something Happy

**Author Note:** Thank you for reading and enjoy 😊

 **Chapter Nineteen – Finally Something Happy**

Kyoko kept trying to convince herself that first of all, she wouldn't come home one day and find Kuon face down on the floor of their apartment without any oxygen in his lungs and turning a sickly pale blue color and that second, Kuon wouldn't run away again.

Although the second was much more likely, over the last couple of weeks she had seen him calm down but she had also seen the chemotherapy really draw away his energy making him weak and making him feel more uncomfortable in his own body. She didn't know what to ask him about it, but she really did hope that he would let her know if he wasn't feeling his best.

She had also started writing charts about when the baby was due and then where Kuon's appointments lined up with it. She sat there looking at them now. According to the doctors, there was a space of five and a half months before she would give birth and she was beyond glad that she had managed to finish up all of her acting duties. Being four months pregnant and trying to finish dramas was more exhausting than she had estimated.

She had already felt how tight her clothes were getting on her. Maybe she could ask Moko for a shopping day to get some more mommy-to-be clothes. If she was really really lucky, she could even get Kuon to tag along too. She liked spending her time with her favorite two people, although Kanae would sometimes act a little cold and distant to Kuon who would just seem confused about her attitude.

As Kyoko looked at the calendar, her smile grew wider and more excited. Today was the day that she was going to have the ultrasound that might tell her what sex their child was going to be. Once they found that out they could think about names and toys and everything that might be needed in the nursery. She didn't even want to let Kuon know how excited she was because it might stress him.

Whether it was a little boy or a little girl didn't matter to her. She just wanted to know.

Looking up at the clock, Kyoko realized that it was about an hour and a half before they needed to go to the appointment and she needed Kuon to be ready to take her. She stood up and then slowly opened the door to see her husband sitting at the side of the bed staring at a very familiar watch. She softly closed the door as a concerned expression was reflected on her face, "Kuon?" she asked making her way over to him.

Kuon blinked up in surprise and then smiled thoughtfully as he put the watch back into the drawer of the side table at his side of the bed. "Hi," he smiled to her. "I was just thinking about some things, Kyoko, you know those two….guys are just making things up. I mean we all know that Fuwa is a big narcissist and that 'Beagle' wants to scare you. They both want you to pay attention to them like the dogs that they are."

"I know," Kyoko sighed. "Still, we really don't know what's going to happen in the end, Kuon. We just have to try to have wishful thinking and hope for the best. Whatever happens though, I do and will always love you. Now, I need for you to get dressed and get ready to be excited."

"About the sex of our baby?" Kuon asked before nodding with a happy laugh, "I am excited to know about that, but I'm more excited to know that both my child and my wife are developing alright and are happy and healthy."

"I'll be even happier when my husband is happy and healthy as well," Kyoko returned as she looked him over once again.

Kuon looked at her and nodded, "I'm working on it," he told her gently. "So, how do you feel about going and looking at some cribs and baby items once we learn the gender?" he asked and Kyoko blushed.

"I'd really like that Kuon, you're going to be such a great daddy," she said as she sat down beside him and let him hold her. She knew that he felt guilty that he had been so self-involved recently. She knew that he was trying and that it was the medication and his illness that was making him have a more negative view of the world. She understood how those drugs could bring down his optimism, but she wanted to stomp her feet at the same time and demand that he look at her and what she was going through.

That was childish.

However, being four months pregnant meant that she deserved a little more of his attention. Then maybe she would open up to him about her fears and her memory as a child. It wouldn't be that he would be surprised about everything, after all it had been Corn that she had shared all of her problems with as a child such as her mother locking her out of the house at six-years old. She was worried that if he looked at her in a negative light that he would shrivel up and die.

She didn't want to make his situation worse, but these secrets felt ready to leap out of her throat at any moment. She saw him staring at her and then without a word, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"I'm sorry and I love you," he told her, she snuggled closed to him. She had really needed to hear that.

….

….

The doctor smiled at the two soon to be Hizuri parents as she pointed to the screen where the ultrasound was being displayed. "So," she said as she gestured to the baby. "I am happy to tell you that this is your little girl."

"Our little princess," Kuon said as he kissed the top of Kyoko's head. "Isn't she beautiful?" he asked her as Kyoko's eyes widened.

"She really is a princess," she sniffed before feeling Kuon holding her from behind. "She's gorgeous. I can't wait until we can hold her. You're not disa-"

"Of course I'm not disappointed," Kuon told her with a grin. "That's our daughter in there and I hope that she looks just like her mother."

Kyoko looked down before looking up at the doctor, "Can we get a video of this?" she asked knowing that it had become common practice that they could get video footage via the computer. She knew that the baby might change, but she wanted to keep an edited video so that she could remember the time she was pregnant with Kuon's daughter. She didn't want to admit that she was scared that this would be the only child that she would have with him.

Kuon took deep breaths and pressed his lips to Kyoko's head, he allowed the tears to fill his eyes. He didn't like crying, but the sight before him, seeing his own daughter felt magical. He hoped that the same magic that Kyoko had inside of her would be in this little girl as well. He hoped even more that he would be there for her as she was growing up even if he embarrassed her because he was an overprotective dad.

"I'll make sure to do that," the doctor nodded as she finished up the appointment and Kyoko was able to readjust the skirt and put her underwear back on.

Kyoko instantly flew into Kuon's arms and smiled as she felt her husband hold her close. "Oh god, Kuon. I'm so happy. I mean I'd be happy if it was a little boy as well, but knowing that we are going to be having a _daughter_ that means so much to me. I hope that she'll grow up to have the best traits of her daddy," she said as Kuon looked down and smiled.

"I think I need to tell you something tonight, I've told you a lot about my past, Kyoko but I think there's something that I need to…talk to you about," he said as Kyoko nodded nervously.

She knew all about how they both had secrets in their past and she was trying to get her mind wrapped around one of her own, she was never expecting Kuon to go first. His secrets always seemed much more private and much darker than her own.

"Alright, I'll listen to you, but…" Kyoko pouted, she wanted to get his mind drawn away from his own troubles, "you did promise me we'd go shopping."

"Okay," Kuon nodded as he kissed her again on the lips. "Okay, let's go shopping together."

….

….

Kyoko looked around the small store for babies. She was in awe of how much they would actually need to get ready for their new family addition. She had understood that she would need to breast feed and that both she and Kuon would have to change diapers and take care of the small child. She would _make sure_ that when Kuon was healthy again that he would help her with it just as much as she did. He wasn't going to just sit back and take it easy.

Still, when it came to pumps and gates and other items, she hadn't really thought about them. She wished that she had a mother who actually cared about her enough to stand by her through all of this. She did have Julie who she knew would be more than willing to walk her through everything step by step, but Julie was only her mother in law because of Kuon, she couldn't trouble her just because of her insecurities.

She walked over to Kuon who was holding a small music box in his hands. She placed her hand on his shoulder and let her head rest on the side of his arm as she saw the item he had found. It was a little figure set of a horse drawn carriage with four horse pulling the carriage, a coachman, and details of leaves and flowers decorating the carriage.

If you flipped the lid open, there was the song 'Once Upon a Dream'. This was one of those designer Disney items that seemed very elegant and expensive but always had with it that Disney magic. She closed her eyes and started to hum along before finding her husband to pull her closer to him.

"You're really adorable, you know," he told her as she stopped humming and blushed looking down. If she hadn't been with Kuon, she might not have started trying to sing in the middle of a shop. "You think we should get her one, they're of a limited run," he pointed to the boxes.

Kyoko nodded. "That sounds perfect for her," she said with stars in her eyes. She grinned as Kuon leaned down to kiss her and went to get one of the shop clerks to get the music box out of the locked case.

Kyoko looked to the side and saw another Disney related product. There were two bears, Duffy and ShellieMay dressed up as a fairytale prince and princess. She picked them up and then put them in the basket as Kuon looked at them and grinned.

"Is our theme going to be princesses and fairytales?" he asked with a smile that said that he wouldn't oppose to such a décor theme for his little girl. "Alright," he said, "We'd better find some fairy items to go with them. Seen Tinkerbell around here?"

"Tinkerbell is a pixie, Kuon" Kyoko corrected him. "Pixies are different than fairies."

Kuon chuckled, "Well then, I'm very glad that I have the expert as my wife so I don't make any future errors," he grinned to her and Kyoko felt happy.

At last she was feeling happy and life might not be as bad as she feared.


	21. Chapter 20 - Time to Unwind Part 1

**AN:** Thank you so much for your patience on this update. I've been pretty busy/stressed recently but I really do hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you for reading.

 **Chapter Twenty : Time to Unwind Part One**

So, this was going to be a hard step to take, but it would be better once everything was out in the open, or at least it would start to be okay once the bottle was open and Kuon had started trying to explain himself and what he thought was wrong with him. He looked up at his wife, feeling terrible that he had been so self-centered lately.

He wanted to get out of his own head so that he could focus on _them_. The only way that the two of them were going to get through this was if they worked together as a team. It wasn't a one person race or a relay race, they had to run together and only together would they pass the finish line.

Kuon watched as Kyoko came out from the bedroom dressed in a nightgown which felt easier on her larger belly and she sat down next to him. She pouted as she looked at her feet. "I feel so big," she said as Kuon took her hand.

"Did I tell you how thankful I am for you and the fact that you are carrying our daughter?" he asked as he brought her hand up to his lips.

"Not since we came home," Kyoko laughed before she placed a hand on his cheek and then kissed him passionately and pulled back so she could gaze at him. "My gorgeous Kuon," she said before looking at the table. "Maybe I should make us some dinner, or is a smoothie better for you tonight?" she worried as he shook his head.

"Kyoko, I'm feeling alright tonight, on the nights that I feel like I can do it, please let me take care of things like that," he said as she shook her head stubbornly.

"I can cook better than you," she said honestly, "but I understand the sentiment and I am very grateful that it's there." She reached out and placed a gentle hand over his heart, "I am so happy to know about this wonderful heart inside of my husband."

Kuon looked down. She was talking about him having a wonderful heart? She was talking about him being passionate and kind and caring. Well, he hated to destroy her view of him but he had to tell her his secrets, he had to explain the person he had been before she had met him for the second time. Maybe if he explained that, she would understand who he was and why the fates were punishing him by giving him stomach cancer.

"Kyoko," he said before looking down feeling vulnerable about what he was to disclose to her. "You might not want to say things about a wonderful heart," he said as his body tensed. He didn't know how to explain it to her. He trusted her and he knew that it wasn't very likely, but he had his own fear about the woman he loved enough to make his wife would run if she knew _who_ he had been.

Kyoko returned a determined look to him, her arms folded over her chest. "I love my husband," she announced, "How can I say that he is anything other than wonderful. I love him unconditionally," she protested as Kuon sighed and tried to make sure to keep himself together.

"I've told you about Rick, right?" he asked as Kyoko nodded.

"You have, you told me that he was your best friend and you feel responsible for the fact that he died trying to calm you down. You told me that you felt that if you hadn't been there, he would be living a long and happy life. You told me about your watch and how things during the Dark Moon shoot reminded you of him," Kyoko nodded.

Kuon looked down sadly as he listened to those words repeated back to him. He still felt that it was his fault that Rick was dead and that he had stolen his place in the world. He didn't think that it was Rick's energy dooming him, but he didn't know if Rick would still be his friend if he came back from the dead.

Those were silly questions that would never have any answer.

They were also questions that he would continually argue about with his parents who had told him time and time again that he shouldn't be blaming himself and that Rick wouldn't have wanted him to blame himself.

"I've told you how I've stolen the place rightfully meant for him in this lifetime?" Kuon asked her as Kyoko nodded.

"I've told you that that isn't true," Kyoko said as she saw the guilt that was soaked into her husband's expression. She saw the fear in his captivating emerald eyes as he tried to focus on what was happening and how his broken mind didn't reasonably reflect what had happened. "I don't think the universe does things like that, Kuon."

"This illness is proof that karma is there," Kuon argued.

Kyoko sighed. Circulating in her mind were numerous counter arguments but she knew that he had to get this out of him. She was always scared of his past, but he was letting her know his secrets. She only hoped that he wasn't telling her now because he didn't feel that there'd be a chance to in the future due to his illness.

"Kyoko, I lost multiple jobs when I was a kid. I would continually hear that the director had only picked me because of my family connections. Apparently, having a second rate Hizuri in a movie could make people take notice of a drama when they saw a poster of it. I really tried my best when I was a kid, acting was my passion, it was what made me feel like I could fly."

Kyoko nodded and she reached out to hold his hand as he told her this, he needed her support as much as she needed to have his.

"So I changed. I couldn't keep up and there were times when my parents were too busy to care about my dreams when they were each trying to keep their own. I was always surrounded by adults when I was growing up so I knew how important my parents were to the acting community as well as my mother to the modeling community. Around the time I was twelve, what I wanted didn't seem to matter. I just had to smile at events and do my job as their son, that was when they were around anyway," he took a shaky inhale.

"So, it was a sort of early Ren Tsuruga character?" Kyoko asked as she felt able to talk during the natural pause, she saw her husband smile very weakly and nod. "That must have been hard."

"My parents have always been extremely well respected, they have a lot of prestige in the acting and modelling worlds. They not only work great as individuals but as a team. Everyone knew that they threw amazing events, that they were very much in love, that they were very generous and gave to charities and helped by volunteering in their spare time. I grew up hearing all about Shuuhei's fame and how Tsuki ga Mori was the epitome of acting caliber."

Kuon took a deep breath in, "If anything, the more that they succeeded, the more I felt that I failed in comparison. I was hired expecting to be used for my name to draw in crowds, I was giving jobs _because_ I was Kuu's son. I started to hate everything within that world. I started to hate my parents although I know that I never really did hate them. Things that would bring me joy as a child such as spending time listening to my father and being in nature seemed inconsequential. I wasn't their perfect son any longer and I enjoyed the idea that I could risk my nothing life and use violence for my personal entertainment."

Kyoko adjusted her position so that she would become more comfortable in listening to this. She had heard him start this story before but he always ended with the fact that he wasn't the perfect son and that he had let them down. She hadn't really heard him explain the enjoyment he had felt from having more thrill and danger in his life.

She had already known though, the way that Cain and even BJ had enjoyed those things.

Maybe there was a part that clicked in everyone when they got pushed down to the lowest point. It was a part of them that remembered that they were only human and even if they did have things of value in their life, they could lose them very easily no matter what they did. Why not live life on the edge? Why not give into impulses?

She couldn't argue that she didn't understand why he had done these things.

What Kyoko really wanted was for her husband to know that whilst she would never approve of Kuon going out and joining the yakuza and chopping people's fingers off, that he had a past that she accepted because she loved who he was inside. When people faced tough emotions sometimes they didn't react to them appropriately, she had her own experience with _those_ emotions.

"I mean," Kuon said as he looked down with a guilty smile on his face. "At that point of my life, the pain that I was feeling inside became so unbearable. Hearing that I was some kind of mutt or that I wasn't worth anything made me feel…invulnerable in a way. I was already seen as this half-breed human and so why not live up to it. Why not get my anger across? Why not use the combat techniques I had wanted to incorporate in my acting? I certainly wasn't keeping any acting jobs, so I went out on the street and I had fun leaving men bloody. I almost considered it a challenge to my existence. I didn't think I was worth anything, but if I could take a man down, I was obviously worth more than him."

"Due to this violence, due to my rebellious attitude and my ego, I lost my mind. I didn't feel as if I was completely with it anymore, I didn't care. I had been so hurt and so assaulted by the world around me that I didn't care about the women that I dated, I didn't care about my parents disappointment in me, I just cared about the thrill of it. Well, the thrill and the friend I lost."

Kuon looked down and felt himself break inside again as the blood and darkness consumed his mind, fortunately he had learned how to fight through these things. "I'm scared because I know that my own illness is just the world reminding me of how many people I had hurt. The world is rejecting me because I should have died instead of Rick."

Kyoko stood and came over to him, placing one hand on his cheek and kissing him passionately before pulling back. "Well, you didn't die. You grew, you escaped that and you're surviving. If the world is responsible for your sickness, then it's trying to tell you to prove your worth and you are worth a lot. Obviously you're worth a lot to me and to your parents, but so many people are out there who you had such an impact in their life. Do you know that Director Ogata _still_ says you are one of the people who helped make him the director he was just because of you sharing your emotions with him," she argued to him.

"I love you, Kuon and you are going to get through this and then I know that you would _never_ be violent or abusive to our daughter. She is going to _need_ a father who can protect her if anyone gets too close but she also needs a role model to look up to. She needs someone who knows from experience the pros and cons of living life certain ways and you're going to be an incredible daddy, Kuon" Kyoko tried to tell him before she smiled.

She kissed him again and pulled back, "Thank you for expressing that to me," she said as he put a hand on her wrist.

"There's a little more," he told her as she nodded ready to listen to whatever came next.

 _Whatever_ came next


	22. Chapter 21 - Time to Unwind Part 2

**AN:** Sorry for such a wait between updates, I hope that you enjoy reading this one 😊 Thank you for all your support. Someone pointed out that in an earlier chapter I said that Kyoko didn't know about Rick, even though this was pointed out to me I'm going to leave the chapters as is but I guess I should pay more attention to my own writing 😊

 **Chapter Twenty-One : Time To Unwind Part 2**

Kuon looked up at his wife and reached out to touch where his daughter was in her belly, but then pulled back. He didn't know how to continue with this story without showing that he was like Fuwa. If Kyoko knew that there was a side to him like that then how could she have dreams of raising a child with him.

"So, you know how I love you, right?" he asked as Kyoko raised an eyebrow.

"It would be an uncomfortable situation if you didn't, Kuon" she tried to laugh even though what she mostly felt inside was confusion over why he would ask something like that. She had just told him less than a few minutes ago that she knew that and that he would be a great daddy.

"So, I've been in relationships when I was younger, but I didn't know how to handle the girl," he said with a deep exhale. "I thought I was being nice to them and giving them whatever they needed, but I guess I was just protecting myself. I tried to date because I thought that that was what you _did_ , I didn't even particularly like the girl that much. It was that feeling that you were a teenager and so you needed a girlfriend. It wasn't until I learned more about myself that a woman needed more than to be respected to feel that her boyfriend really loved her."

Kuon bowed his head, "Now that I've looked back on it, I feel guilty that I treated so many women as objects. I mean, I wanted what was best for them, but it was…"

"I understand," Kyoko nodded, "but you do know that doesn't make you the same as Shoutaro," she said as Kuon looked at her in surprise. She laughed, "Did you really not guess that I would know what you were leading to," she looked down. "There were a lot of girls in my middle school that wanted boyfriends _just_ to have a boyfriend and even as an adult there have been the same feelings. It's alright, you would never tell our daughter to let a guy use her, right?" she asked.

Kuon shook his head, "Of course I wouldn't. I'd want our daughter to do whatever was in her best interest and whatever kept her safe and happy."

"And if she chose not to date?" Kyoko asked as Kuon looked down.

"Not to play into the cliché of the over protected dad, but I think I'd be more confident that someone wouldn't be using her. That doesn't stop me from thinking that I'm a monster and that I hurt more people than I've helped. If I caused her pain or I showed her my anger, my sadness, my own pain…"

"Then she will realize that as perfect as her daddy is, he isn't some robotic creation. I know how I always say I want a Prince Charming but," Kyoko stretched out and started laughing. "Can you even start to imagine how _boring_ that type of relationship would be. Sometimes the most rewarding thing for me is to see you smiling because something I've said or done has cheered you up."

"So, you trust me around our daughter?" Kuon asked as he looked down with a weak smile and Kyoko nodded.

"On one condition. You don't run off again," Kyoko said before leaning forward and kissing him on the lips. She imagined that soon they would get deeper into his past, but soon it would be time for her to consider telling him her own secrets.

Kuon looked forwards as if a huge weight had been taken off of him, "Okay, I'll do my best to stay put and I'm sorry," he told her as she nodded.

"I suppose I can forgive you, Kuon" she grinned before leaning forwards and kissing him.

…..

…..

Finally Kyoko felt that the two of them would get through everything alright. She would have to go out and buy some maternity wear, but now she felt that there were places where she could wear them when she went out with Kuon. More than being afraid of him, she was happy that she could get to know him. She could learn all those secrets that were hidden underneath those top layers that she already knew about.

She didn't want to imagine a life without her husband and she definitely didn't want to imagine raising this baby without Kuon's support. She would have to make sure that her husband stayed by her side. Those were the feelings that Kyoko thought about as she sat in the living room at one in the morning, their daughter keeping her awake.

"Hi, little one," she grinned down at her stomach before hearing the sound of heavy pants.

Her eyes widened and Kyoko stood up.

No!

God, no, please don't have let anything else happen.

Those were Kyoko's thoughts before she went back into her bedroom and saw Kuon struggling to breathe. She got closer to him and before she even touched his forehead, she knew how dangerously high his fever was. She grabbed for her phone before calling an ambulance. Thankfully the roads would be clear so they wouldn't have to deal with the other cars that people had.

"Kuon," she said as she took his hand in hers and felt her tears fill her eyes. She hadn't seen this happen this badly? He was sweating and he couldn't breathe and she had no idea what to do.

Positioning herself over him, Kyoko thought about the cpr training and quickly tried to give him mouth to mouth. She had no idea what had caused this but damnit if she was going to lose her husband.

"Kuon, I'm here, can you hear me darling?" she asked as she started trying to comfort him by running her fingers over those tiny pricks of hair covering his head. "If you can hear me, please try to take deep breaths," she said.

She tried once again to perform the cpr, this time she could definitely feel an improvement. She looked at her belly. Things had been going so well.

As the emergency services took her call, Kyoko requested an ambulance that could take her husband to the hospital. She didn't know what was happening but she knew that it wasn't good. She just didn't want it to be life threateningly bad.

"Kuon, I'm here. Please, my sweet Corn, please try to breathe?" she pleaded wanting for everything to be okay, but was that too much to hope for?

…..

…..

Kyoko sat very still in the hospital waiting room not sure what was going on. She had _thought_ that everything was fine, but as soon as something good happened to them, the universe had to shake them down again. She wanted her daughter to meet her daddy and for the three of them to be a family more than anyone.

She didn't even know what had happened but she felt guilty.

It might have been something that she did or that she had given Kuon to eat or drink, she had tried to be so careful with everything, but with the way Kuon was in the hospital….this wasn't good. She closed her eyes and let her head drop down as she wrapped her arms around herself.

She rubbed her thumb over Corn which she now kept in her purse for times like this. It wasn't taking away either her sadness or her fear tonight. Corn was useless in this situation. She kept reflecting on all the words that that dumb beagle had said to her and she wrapped her arms around her even more. He couldn't be right.

"Kyoko?"

Her name was said in a very serious and very firm manner, not the kind of bedside manner that one would expect from a doctor or nurse that was helping her very sick husband. She placed a hand over their daughter before looking up, her eyes widened a little as she saw that instead of a medical professional, it was her mother calling her.

She did _not_ want to talk to her now.

This wasn't the right time to have a heart to heart talk about motherhood. She wanted her husband beside her. All she wanted to hear about was how Kuon was okay or if he wasn't okay, at least that he was going to be okay. She would do anything for him, but that was one of the problems, she had nothing that she _could_ do.

"Hello," Kyoko said in an exhausted manner as she looked up at Saena. "If you want to talk to me you can come in here," she said knowing that her mother wanted to talk outside…at three in the morning. Wait, what kind of mother is absent from somebody's life and then wants to talk to them before six in the morning and even six was a bit early.

"You do know that isn't the correct or professional way of speaking to somebody," Saena said. "I tracked you down here, you don't need to have that unpleasant attitude of yours."

Kyoko's eyes widened as she looked over at her mother, she didn't need to deal with this right now. "I don't want you here!" Kyoko yelled as she brought attention to herself but once again she didn't care. The only thing that she really cared about was the health of her husband and of her child. She didn't want some kind of hollow family meet up here. She wanted to be with her husband.

"I heard you were pregnant," Saena commented as her eyes went down to her daughter's belly and Kyoko wrapped an arm around the little girl. "I think it's time that you learned a little more about your family."

"If you're talking about Kuon's history, I'll wait until _he's_ ready to tell me," Kyoko protested. "I'm sorry that you wasted your time in coming down here," she shivered not knowing what to do.

"I'll try again, but first it wasn't about his history but your own. I doubt that you remember everything about the Mogami family history," Saena said as Kyoko felt tears in her eyes and she looked down at her baby.

"This isn't the time," Kyoko said as she looked in the direction where Kuon was located. Weren't wives allowed to stay with their husbands when their husbands were hurt like this? She should be by Kuon's side but the last thing she heard, he had been taken to the ER and she didn't know why.

"Secondly, I have the feeling that your husband isn't going to wake up so you might as well…" Saena said as Kyoko stared at her.

Suddenly Kyoko's body filled with anger. How would her mother know that and why would she be here right at the time when Kuon was going through such difficulty? What was going on here? Kyoko shivered as she tried to regain control of herself. It wasn't healthy for the baby to be exposed to such dark emotions.

"I swear," Kyoko spat out, "If you did anything to Kuon, you will regret it. I don't want to see you. You don't have to be part of my life anymore, I have a husband who I love and who loves me. I have a husband who -"

"Hizuri-san," the doctor said as he approached Kyoko, "Might I have a word with you?" he asked as Kyoko turned her back on the woman who had always rejected her. She took a few steps forward towards the medical professional.

"Of course," she said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hizuri-san, your husband had a cardiac arrest," the doctor said as Kyoko felt the world crumble around her. She turned to look in the direction that her mother had been, but the woman had already left.


	23. Chapter 22 - Healing

**AN:** Hope you like this one 😊 Due to some emotional and physical health problems, I'm going to be concentrating on a smaller number of fics which includes this one. Hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter Twenty Two - Healing**

"Hizuri-san," the doctor said as Kyoko stared blankly at them. She wasn't sure what to say at least not yet. A cardiac arrest didn't necessarily mean death, but on the other hand it didn't mean that they were alive either. She took a deep breath as she tried to steady her thoughts. What had caused this? It couldn't have been him saying that he wasn't going to run anymore and the world trying to tell them that they needed a weird sense of dramatic irony.

Kyoko placed a hand over her child and then searched the room for her mother.

She had left. She had come in, dropped a bomb in terms of what she had said, and then she had disappeared. Kyoko honestly didn't expect anything more from her, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. She looked at the doctor again.

She had to concentrate on Kuon now, she couldn't focus on her mother. Maybe she could track her down later, or ask the president if he could help with that. "Kuon?" she asked as she looked at the doctor.

"It doesn't look too promising," he replied to her as Kyoko felt her breath catch within her and her body turned to ice.

No. No no no no. Kuon was not allowed to die.

Kyoko wrapped an arm around herself, "Can I see him?" she asked as she tried her best not to cry. She felt dead inside. How could she raise a baby by herself, Kuon _knew_ that she had fears that she would even be able to love her daughter, with him gone it would be much harder. The little girl, if she looked like her dad, Kyoko might not be able to breathe.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the doctor said as Kyoko looked at him, "He's not dead. I'm sorry if I misled you to that conclusion. I'm hopeful that he'll survive."

Kyoko felt her breath start to return to her. If she wasn't in so much shock over Kuon and would feel that she could risk being kicked out of the hospital, she would show the doctor the extent of her anger. She wanted to strangle him for making her feel that her husband was gone. She would have preferred anyone to be gone over him, as mean as that sounded he was everything to her.

"It's just due to complications, we will have to restart the chemo after giving him some time to get all of the drugs out of his system," the doctor commented and Kyoko nodded. She knew that Kuon would probably have to fight more than he already was, but he could do that. She believed in him.

"That's good news then…" Kyoko said slowly, "That he's not…dead"

"Hizuri-san," the doctor said before gesturing for her to follow him to his office, "You do realize that your husband's cardiac arrest was due to the chemotherapy treatments that he's been receiving. The dosage was too high and therefore it led to too many chemicals filling his body."

Kyoko sat down at the desk and nodded, "I understand that. My husband really wanted to get better, I should have allowed him more time to rest between his appointments," she replied trying to make a mental note to be sure that she could do that.

One of the last things that she wanted was for this to happen again and for them to wind up here.

"Have you heard about the side effects that can be caused by the drug treatment that your husband is on?" the doctor asked. Kyoko took a deep breath in, she had read them over multiple times but she wasn't sure which one the doctor would tell her about.

Was he going to tell her that Kuon had amnesia? Dementia? Hearing loss? That he was constantly throwing up? That his body was in pain?

"I've read over them," she admitted as she continued to think.

It had to be something with his stomach, right? Were they about to tell her that her husband had to have a colonoscopy bag for the rest of his life and that she would be responsible for helping him with it whilst he was sick. Alright, well as unpleasant as that sounded and as much as she'd hate for Kuon to have to go through such a thing, of course she would help him. Kyoko loved her husband more than even she could fathom.

"We believe that, there is a chance, that he might have optical damage," the doctor told her as Kyoko blinked.

"Optical?" she said before gesturing to her own face, "You mean his eyes?"

"We can't be certain until he wakes up," the doctor said, "but there is a chance that your husband might go blind. Now, if that happens, it'll be a temporary side effect of the medicine and once he finishes treatment, his eyesight will return," the doctor looked at her. "This is a lot to ask of…"

"It's not a lot to ask of me," Kyoko shook her head, "Kuon is my husband and he never asks much of me at all. He always has stood by me and encouraged me to follow my dreams. He even wanted for me not to feel I had to help him with any of this. Kuon is my husband and if he demanded from me all the time, maybe then it'd be a lot to ask, but my husband doesn't do that, therefore I am willing to do whatever it takes so that the three of us can have a good life together."

"And it's the pregnancy that troubles me," the doctor replied, "You are under a lot of pressure yourself. I wouldn't want for you to…"

"Do you know how many friends my husband and I have?" Kyoko asked, "that isn't even mentioning his parents who I expect to try to move in tomorrow if they hear that he can't see. My husband has very overly protective loving parents. My father in law particularly, we'll be fine."

The doctor nodded before a nurse arrived at the office door.

"Hizuri-san is awake and his condition is stabilizing," she reported and Kyoko quickly stood up. She placed her hands on the doctor's desk and leaned forwards as much as she could so as not to hurt their little girl.

"Which room is he in?" she asked before the doctor stood and took her down the hallway.

As soon as she saw Kuon, Kyoko rushed to him as fast as her pregnant belly would allow her to and held his hand very gently, allowing her tears to roll down her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she apologized as she attempted to wipe them away. The joy of seeing Kuon was just too big for her to hold in.

"Hey, honey," she said as she saw him looking at her and squinting, "You really had me worried there," she said as she saw how many machines he had been hooked up to. There was no denying that her husband was ill, Kyoko just hoped he wasn't _too_ ill. Kuon slowly reached for her hand and squeezed it. He couldn't say anything with the respirator on and Kyoko was just glad to see him alive.

"Can you…can you see me, Kuon?" she asked as he nodded but then lifted his other hand and gave a gesture which Kyoko knew meant that he could see her but he couldn't see her properly. Maybe there was some kind of infection, but he hadn't completely lost his sight. "Okay," she nodded, "We'll work on it together, I'm just so glad to see you alive."

She wrapped her arms around him and started to allow her tears to sink into his hospital gown. She was just so relieved that she could still be there with her.

….

….

Over the past thirty-six hours, Kyoko had tried to stay as near to Kuon's side as possible whilst also attempting to set things up for a quiet time away. She didn't care about staying in Tokyo if Kuon would do better somewhere else. She had asked him if he wanted to move to America and he had said no, but she wanted to go somewhere where he could get better.

After a lot of research and talking to Lory, she had decided that moving to a quiet area just outside of Kyoto would be best for the two of them. They could always move back to Tokyo when Kuon was better. It wasn't too far away from their friends so they _could_ visit one another and neither of them were acting at this time, though they had a lot of money stored away plus the money that Kuu had put for his only biological child in a trust account that could have been accessed at twenty-one. The first was money that Kuon had barely touched but that had been available to him since he moved to Japan.

Kyoko still had trouble figuring out how rich the Hizuri family actually was.

The money that they both had had led to Kyoko renting a decent sized home in Kyoto that had an option to buy if they really wanted to. That meant that they'd be around nature and not around the noise polluted Tokyo. There was also a hospital program that was ranked highly when it came to chemotherapy treatments.

Kyoko sat beside her husband as he looked at the five different pairs of glasses that she had brought for him. The doctors had discovered that although he wasn't blind, he did have some major damage to his eyesight and unless his eyes improved, it would be best for him to have a pair of glasses. Even with all his experience with contacts, the doctors had said that they would hurt his eyes. Thankfully being an amazing actor as well as being in hospital and getting sympathy from people, had allowed for a rush job on the different frames.

Kyoko grinned at her husband as he had on some very Clark Kent-esque glasses. The thick black rims brought out the emerald in his eyes. Him wearing them made Kyoko think about how sweet and yet sexy the man she married was. "Those look good on you," she commented as Kuon looked in the mirror and turned his head to see all angles.

"I'm not sure," he sighed, "I mean they are nice, going to take some time to get used to."

"Well thank god that we _have_ that time," Kyoko said as she placed a hand on his upper arm, "As I just said, they look good on you, Kuon. Plus, didn't Jelly once say that using contacts so much might damage your eyes so you might have had to wear glasses anyway."

Kuon sighed, "I just feel guilty. You chose to marry a model, Kyoko, not a scientist."

"Kuon Hizuri," Kyoko said as she stood up. "First of all, I didn't choose to marry a model, I chose to marry a fairy prince and second, you are really surprising me with your self-image issues. You have to wear the glasses because the chemotherapy led you to having a cardiac arrest. I thought I lost you…and those glasses really bring out the emerald color of your eyes so just wear them," she said as Kuon nodded. Even he was unable to argue against his wife when she had such passion and determination in her speech.

"You still expect me to wheel myself out in that, don't you?" he gestured to the wheelchair as Kyoko shook her head with a smile.

"Well first Kuon, I don't expect you to be leaving the hospital for at least a few more days," Kyoko said stubbornly, "I need to know that I won't have to bring you back immediately. As for the chair, I'm thinking no such thing," she grinned. "Can I remind you of how close I was to losing you, no, father is going to be doing the honor."

Kuon paled, that was definitely one more way of making sure that he appeared in as many photos as possible.


	24. Chapter 23 - Old Times

**Chapter Twenty Three – Old Times**

The fresh air in Kyoto was wonderful.

Kyoko had felt before that moving down to Kyoto, at least for a little time, would be good for her and Kuon but she hadn't really imagined it like this. It was different from when she was a child. When she was a kid, she was more interested in her prince Shou. This part of Japan was where she had been hurt as a child and where she had devoted herself to someone she didn't care about out of a feeling of needing someone to be by her side.

She had at first thought all about Shou when she was in Tokyo. She had slaved away from him, deprived herself of what she wanted to be with him, and she had hurt herself so much inside just for his benefit. Here she hoped that she wouldn't have to hurt any longer.

It was going to be hard to be away from her friends. They had become a second family to her, or rather her first family, but she had her daughter, her husband, and her in-laws who told her they would frequently visit. She just needed to remind herself that although she had moved here for Kuon, she hadn't moved here because of Kuon.

It was her decision.

She just hoped that her husband would feel better soon. She hoped that they would be able to raise a happy and healthy child sometime soon.

After they all got comfortable together, they could go back to Tokyo.

Hopefully she was right and that the fresh air and the decreased noise and activity levels would be beneficial to Kuon. If they weren't…she didn't want to think of the consequences. Still, even though she had hope for the future, being in Kyoto just reminded her of her mother and the secrets that she was still hiding from Kuon. He was too sick to learn about them and putting more stress on him might lead to his mind turning against him again.

No, she would have to be quiet when it came to those secrets.

In three months she would be giving birth to their child and now at six months pregnant, it was getting harder to move around. Still their daughter seemed to be growing well inside of her and Kuon had been paying more attention to her.

Kyoko knew that if Kuon was feeling better, then he would be doing the typical things that a soon to be father would be doing, such as rushing out at two in the morning and searching for any store that sold mochi. Unfortunately, Kyoko didn't feel she could ask such things of her husband. If it wasn't for the cancer then maybe this would be a normal pregnancy.

"Morning, princess" she heard a voice beside her say and turned to see Kuon still in the wheelchair. His body was still weak but the new doctor had said that he seemed to be showing promise in getting better. If he continued to get better then Kyoko wouldn't worry anymore.

The last thing she wanted was for a doctor to tell her that her husband had passed away.

"Morning," Kyoko said as she walked over to the wheelchair and held out for his hand, he gave it to her and then gently pulled her in for a kiss. She smiled and let her fingers rest on top of the baseball cap that he was wearing. She knew that ever since he had weakened from that terrifying night, he had become more self conscious about his image.

As much as she wanted to remind him that him having a bald head and glasses didn't matter to her, she felt that it was wrong to criticize how he felt. She wanted to _change_ how he felt and not rub it in that he looked different than before. He was still her sexy fairy prince despite the fact that his sex drive had lowered significantly.

"How are you feeling today?" she said as she sat down on a nearby seat so that they could be more at the same level. She knew how her husband, who had very long legs, hated to look up at people when he was so used to them looking up at him. She was just glad that he hadn't gotten angry but was still her sweet and supportive Kuon.

"A little better, the doctor wants me to start a different drug soon," he told her despite the doctor telling everyone to Kyoko as well. It was needed to tell the person who was taking care of the cancer patient as well.

Kyoko nodded, "How do you feel about that?" she asked as Kuon looked down.

"Honestly, I just want to get better. I know how hard it was for you to come down here," he said as Kyoko shook her head. "I'd feel similar about going back to LA for too long a time. It seems that there are painful secrets for both of us." Kuon sighed, "I have to say thank you for doing this for me," he said. "I wish I could help you more, the fact that you're going to have our child…"

"Just try to keep alive long enough to see her," Kyoko said as she let her hand rest against his cheek. "Kuon, I know that Yashiro said he'd try to make the trip today so I arranged to meet someone myself. Is that okay? If you need me here for any reason I'll…"

"I'm going to be alright," Kuon said although he was wondering who Kyoko could be seeing. From all of the stories that he had heard both as a child and when Kyoko told him about her past, there weren't many 'friends' that she could be visiting. He wished that there were people who were that close to her, who could support her through this difficult time. That was just wishful thinking though. "Are you sure you're alright going by yourself? I mean, in your condition."

"I'll be fine," Kyoko said quietly before kissing Kuon's lips again. "You will call me if you feel any pain at all, I mean…should I tell Yashiro to call if you seem in pain, sometimes you do try to hide things from me Kuon and I don't want to have to deal with any secrets. I love you, but sometimes you don't…well you don't tell me what's going on."

Kuon sighed, "You can tell Yashiro if you want, but I will try not to hide anything. I mean, the doctors say that my condition is improving and that in a few months I might be able to have surgery on my stomach. I'll do my best to take care of myself," he said as Kyoko smiled.

It was at this point that they heard a knock on the door and Kyoko grinned happily.

"That's most likely him," she announced before going down to the first floor to let him in.

Kyoko opened the door and grinned as she saw the family friend. She was excited as Yashiro looked at her belly and smiled to her.

"You look radiant, Kyoko," he said as she laughed.

"I feel so fat but that means that our daughter is probably healthy, I'm sometimes scared that I'm about to explode," she said as Yashiro shook his head. Kyoko placed a hand over her belly, "It's only going to get bigger, but I hope she's okay in there. I keep having to go shopping," she said thoughtfully. She was glad that there were days when she _was_ able to go out with Kuon. Going shopping by herself definitely wasn't as fun.

She did miss her shopping outings with Moko though. Even though Moko sometimes pulled faces at some of the clothes that Kyoko liked, it was always somewhat comforting to know that she was having a girls day out. Kanae promised she would come and visit them soon but she was still acting so it was difficult to arrange everything.

"Well you still are beautiful," Yashiro complimented her. "Kuon said you were going out to meet with someone today? Is this a new friend?"

Kyoko sighed, "I wouldn't call them friends, but it'll be alright. Thank you for being here. I know that Kuon can take care of himself and he's coping with his illness alright but I'm still worried. I know he's hiding things from me, but I also have the feeling that he's attempting to be more open about them," she smiled softly and thoughtfully.

Yashiro reached out and placed a hand on Kyoko's shoulder. "I promise to give you a full report when you get back and I'll call you if there's an emergency."

Kyoko smiled in gratitude.

….

….

Kyoko felt her heart catch in her chest as she stood outside of the Fuwa ryokan. She didn't know why on earth she would come back here. She knew that they had groomed her to become a wife at this place, to run it with their good for nothing son. She knew that they had placed their hopes in the two of them and that they had disappointed them.

Taking a deep breath to get her confidence back, she looked down at where her daughter was in her pregnant belly. They wouldn't hurt or insult a pregnant and married woman, would they? Or maybe they didn't know about her being married. She didn't remember whether either of the Fuwas kept up with the entertainment industry and whether they did or didn't also had something to do with Shoutaro.

Maybe it was a mistake to come back here.

She turned around but then her eyes widened, how on earth did he find out she was here at the exact time? Kyoko glared at the blond singer behind her. "What are you doing here?" she growled out. "You told me that you would never return to this place or are you just doing some kind of PR stunt, make your arrogant ass look a bit more human. It's a little pathetic isn't it?"

Shou shook his head with a smile, "I thought you might need some support. It doesn't seem as if you came with that husband of yours, I guess unlike a normal person he has some strange feelings about leaving pregnant woman to fend for themselves."

Kyoko looked down, trying to keep her eyes off of the imbecile who had decided to show up.

"And how did you know that I was here? You have some spies on me or something? Whatever, Shou…I know that we're trying to get along but…" Kyoko looked down. She had to figure out a better way of dealing with her emotions? Shou wasn't the coward that he had once been and he had definitely matured. Sometimes it seemed that he didn't even have a problem with herbeing with Kuon, although he always seemed to dislike Kuon himself. Yet, maybe he had come down to show support for her.

"You called my mother," Shou said, "I've been trying to reconnect a little with them. For some reason you said that you and your husband were going to be in Kyoto. She wasn't sure why you said it that way though."

"You mean that they thought that Kuon and I were just visiting Kyoto instead of moving down for his health," Kyoko said before rolling her eyes. "Well, it doesn't matter what they believe. I'm only here to clear the past up and I feel that I owe them an explanation for your special brand of stupidity."

Shou shrugged and knocked on the door.

His mother answered it and smiled as Shou slipped his hand quickly around Kyoko's waist. She was too preoccupied with the woman who had just opened the door for them. "Oh, there they are, my daughter in law and my future grandchild."

Kyoko blinked before looking at Shou. Now she really was confused about what was happening.

"Yeah, thought we'd come down and see you," Shou said as Kyoko looked at him stunned. The woman welcomed the two of them into the house and then went off to get them something to drink. Kyoko stared at her childhood friend.

"You better start explaining, Shoutaro," she told him. "Why does she think that I'm your wife?"


	25. Chapter 24 - Those Who Are Close To Us

**AN:** So, I feel that in this chapter, this fic is hitting its best bits again but that might just be my opinion. I do feel as if some of the previous chapters have been a bit weak or a bit lacking so I really hope the people reading this fic enjoy this chapter. I've been asked a lot if Kuon is going to die. If you want to know the answer, then read the second author note at the end.

 **Chapter Twenty-Four – Those That are Close to Us**

As Kyoko walked with Shou down the hallway which she remembered walking so many times as a child, she shot a look at Shou. "They can't possibly believe this," she whispered to him, "The wedding was televised," she said as Shou was glad that his mother had walked away from them so that they wouldn't be able to hear her.

Shou shrugged, "I told them that you were coming down here and I also said that I was coming down here. I said that you were sharing a house with your _husband_ ," Shou said as if the word itself left a bad taste in his mouth. "She was overjoyed by that, I'm glad she knows me well enough that I…"

"Have such a big ego that you're talking about yourself," Kyoko said as she raised an eyebrow.

The two of them stopped as they got to the place where Kyoko would sleep as a child. She tried to bow as well as she could with her daughter in her belly and the older woman placed a hand on her shoulder. "Shouldn't you be helping your wife with things that are difficult to her," Shou's mother told him in a no-nonsense tone. "Anyway, there are things that I need to discuss with Kyoko."

Kyoko took a nervous breath in and looked around. What on earth was so important that it needed to be discussed alone, though maybe not having Shoutaro around her would be good for as long as she was able to. Kyoko nodded and stepped into the room, "My _husband_ " she said, emphasizing the word with respect and importance, "takes care of me and cares about my comfort and safety greatly."

With that she followed Shou's mother into the room.

As she entered, Kyoko felt the memories wash over her. Some of them were happy and a lot of them annoyed her since it reminded her of how she was being groomed to be Shou's bride. Her mother might have been a lawyer, but these people owned _multiple_ inns. They were rich. Maybe even richer than Kuu and Julie…or maybe not. Didn't blonde hair mean people were from wealthier blood lines or something or was that the story that she had told herself.

"Kyoko, please sit down and let me apologize for whatever my idiot son has done to you in the past," the woman said as Kyoko blinked and then sat. "I was hoping that you'd appear here with your husband," she said with a thoughtful expression. "With what my son has done to him though, I can understand him not being here."

Kyoko blinked, "So…you know that…"

"I knew that when you were growing up you had passion and dedication, I would not have expected that you would return to a man who had treated you with only his own happiness in mind. That is not the type of son that would hurt both a girl who loved him and his own family." The woman sighed and looked away. "My son wanted his own freedom, but I am disgraced that he ran off and took you with him. I still don't know how to apologize for that."

Kyoko blinked with a weak smile, "So you…are just going along with him? Why?" she asked before thinking about her real husband. She never wanted him to hear of how she had pretended to be Shou's wife. It might cut him deeply and she was scared of how he might react…or overreact with the news.

"My husband is dying," the woman said as Kyoko's eyes widened. "I have no intention of remarrying and although the property will be under Shotaro's name after my death, we have entrusted the upkeep to a couple of our nephews and one family friend who has studied under us with his wife. Part of my reason for pretending to believe his lies were that I wanted my husband to see his own son in a happy relationship. Secondly, I suppose we wanted to see him again and if I go along with his story then we would."

Kyoko looked down, a tear slipping down her face at the idea of Shou's father dying and how she had to live with the fear of Kuon dying every day.

"I do apologize that I am asking a lot of you," Shou's mother said. "I also fear that I am asking too much of your husband."

Kyoko paused, she looked down with a nervous breath, "How do you know about my husband?" she asked as Shou's mother laughed and shook her head.

"Kyoko, if you had married a minor celebrity and it had only been reported in a small half page of a magazine, I might not have seen it, but even out here we have many guests who talk at length about how much they love the former Ren Tsuruga and now Kuon Hizuri. My husband and I are also fans of the work of Kuu Hizuri. You don't entertain guests without picking up on some things." Shou's mother chuckled softly to herself as Kyoko bowed her head with a grin.

"I guess you're right. If I had chosen someone less popular you might not have known, but I didn't fall in love with Kuon because he was popular. Yes, it was his advice and commitment to his acting that helped us create a stronger bond and relationship. It was his kindness, his support, his creative mind that always allowed me to feel special that made me fall in love with. My husband has given me something that I'm afraid your son never did, unconditional love."

Kyoko placed a hand on her heart as she thought about that and closed her eyes. She could remember so many times when she had felt scared or in pain and then she could remember how his arms felt, how she would be blinded by his smile, how he made her comfortably fall in love with him day after day. When she had opened her eyes, she saw a small bag in front of her and looked at it curiously. She also saw a folder containing multiple pieces of paper.

"What is this?" she asked as she opened the bag to find different items that all had some relation to health and wellness. She looked up at the woman who had raised her more than her own mother had.

"My husband doesn't pay attention to the media which is why he believes that you and our idiotic son are married. He feels that our son is ungrateful and refuses to support his singing career. I don't share that sentiment. However, I did hear that your husband is suffering badly from cancer and you do remember how I had taken those medical classes just in case something happened to one of our guests."

"Yes," Kyoko smiled as she remembered the secret items that she had prepared for Ren when she had been his temporary manager the first time.

"Well, I found that all of these are good for those with cancer. You don't have to use them, but I would appreciate you taking them. I also put some items in there that are good for pregnancy. I really hope you have a beautiful child, Kyoko. I only regret that I was so controlling of you in the past. Knowing your mother I should have tried to support you more, but…"

"It's okay," Kyoko said with gratitude and appreciation of her past in her voice. "I forgive you. I know that you were only doing what you needed to as a parent."

Shou's mother reached out for her hand and Kyoko took it willingly. "Please contact me if you have any questions or need any type of help, Kyoko," she said with a smile. "Now, I have to ask you to please entertain my husband by pretending to be married to our son."

Kyoko nodded and didn't know whether it was from confronting her past, the words of the woman who had brought her up, or the pregnancy controlling her emotions but the tears slid down her cheeks unchecked.

….

….

"So," Kuon said as he looked around for something to offer his guest. He felt a little bad, he had nothing other than what Kyoko had gone out and bought thinking that Yashiro would like something. He felt as if he should be providing something of his own rather than relying on his pregnant wife. He should have been helping her and he would have been doing a lot more if he wasn't so weak. "Is what is on the table alright?"

"More than alright," Yashiro commented. "Don't worry so much, you look good by the way."

He saw Kuon's firm look of disbelief and shook his head with a soft laugh.

"Okay," Yashiro rephrased, "Compared to how you could look with your illness, you look healthier than most. I know you're going to say that you were modeling only a short time ago, but we've all been scared of losing you to this illness."

"I'm doing alright," Kuon said as Yashiro paused and nodded.

"With all the stress of being a new father as well, I'm glad that you decided to move down here for a while. The air feels a bit fresher here than it does in Tokyo, I'll admit that." Yashiro stood only to walk over to Kuon and close the cupboard. "I also know that you'll be returning to acting sooner than you think."

"Is that why I haven't heard anything about you even being a stand in manager for anyone despite how much talent you have for being a manager. You're called the best in the business, you know. Doesn't it mean that you'd want to go out and represent someone -" Kuon tried to argue as Yashiro rolled his eyes.

"Maybe I'm just happy waiting for my friend to get better. Besides, now that I've started looking over the PR paperwork for other less experienced managers, I'm constantly reminded of my skill. When you say best in the business, you know they are thinking about you and how I managed to keep your stubborn attitude out of the papers for so long," Yashiro winked.

"So," Yashiro said as he tried to gesture for the two of them to sit back to the table. "Last time Kyoko contacted me, she said that the prognosis was good and that though you're still at stage three, the doctors think you're closer to stage two than stage four, that's a good thing, right?"

Kuon nodded before sighing, "I loathe being sick _especially_ when Kyoko's pregnant. I want to help her but my body is too weak. I know she's not going to leave me alone, she's too worried about…"

"You suddenly having a cardiac arrest?" Yashiro asked as Kuon looked down sadly. "I'm glad that you're getting better, concentrate on that part of it. I'm sure that in a year or maybe even less you'll be acting again. For now concentrate on your daughter. I'm sure she'll be as feisty as you and Kyoko put together and don't get me started on how many suitors she's going to have. You're going to have to learn a lot more about love to protect her."

Kuon laughed and looked down. "Did I ever tell you how much I appreciate you?" he asked his friend who smiled.

"A number of times, yes, only this time I definitely know you aren't referring to my work as your manager. You do know that if I wasn't so stubborn myself and so serious about the industry, the president would have never put me with someone so unruly as you." Yashiro picked up one of the rice crackers from the table. "I am beyond proud to say that you are one of my closest friends, Kuon Hizuri."

"Same to you," Kuon nodded, "Yashiro Yukihito," he said as he wondered if Kyoko was doing alright. It wasn't easy to have so many memories of your past flood back to you, he had learned that himself when he had been in Los Angeles.

 **AN:**

Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this fic in the past and those who might do so in the future. A special shout out this time to **Tabbykatroses** for their review of the previous chapter. As for if Kuon is going to die from his sickness: no, Kuon will not die, his sickness is going to be with him for a while but he is not going to die. It will just become something that the three of them will have to deal with.


	26. Chapter 25 - At the Dinner Table

**AN:** Hope you enjoy 😊 I'm trying to work towards the baby, hopefully next chapter will have a lot more story development but I really do hope you enjoy this chapter 😊

 **Chapter Twenty Five – At the Dinner Table**

Kyoko sat with the best posture she could as she and Shou sat with the Fuwas. Shou's mother had made sure to hide the bag with the medical and pregnancy supplies she had gifted to avoid any questions. That meant that right now, Kyoko was being asked questions on how wonderful her 'husband' was. She was just glad that there would be no way that Kuon could just suddenly walk in.

"So, when are you expecting your little one?" Shou's mother said as his father just watched to see how the 'happy couple' was interacting with each other.

"About three months, possibly a little over," Kyoko smiled as Shou reached out for her.

"Yeah, we're going to have a little boy," he said as Kyoko glared at him as she saw the kind of idiot that she was dealing with. "I thought you said it was a boy."

Kyoko shook her head, "Well since we've already started buying things for the nursery, I thought you would know, but it's a little girl. I really hope that she has her daddy's gorgeous blonde hair," she smirked as she challenged Shou with her eye raised.

"You do know that he dyes it," Shou's father said and Kyoko paused for a moment with a daring glance at Shou but a smile on her lips.

"Oh really, guess I forgot," she said as she thought about Kuon. She would find it hard for her to say the child was anyone's but his if he was there watching her. She was so happy to be having _his_ child. _Kuon's_ child. "My husband has the most gorgeous blond hair, nice texture too. I love just running my hand through it and making him know how _real_ a _good relationship_ can feel."

Shou raised an eyebrow, "It's even better when we're together at night, I more than make up for Kyoko's shortcomings there," he said as Kyoko looked down with fake tears in her eyes.

"In front of your parents?" she asked as she put a hand to her heart, "That's so cruel. Well, I do find myself somewhat resistant to it, I guess it's only when I'm beside a professional actor that I can make it look good…that's what I learned in training, you have to have the _right partner_ to make anything work."

"Well then aren't you glad we're together," Shou smiled and Kyoko gave a calm sigh and a little laugh.

"I'm with my golden haired prince, what could make me happier than that?" Kyoko smiled whilst a fire was burning in her eyes.

"So, you two must have seen all of these fake celebrities, that's all those people do be fake," Shou's father commented. "There's that maniac that the guests are always talking about…total nutjob…he's sick right…"

"Oh, Hizuri Kuon," Shou smirked, "I think the world would be…"

Kyoko stood up, she couldn't hear what she knew Shou was about to say. The world would most definitely _not_ be better if Kuon was out of it. She looked to Shou's mother and felt the tears in her eyes. "I am so sorry," she said as she tried to drop into the best bow she could which was hard with her large belly. "I can't hear you say anything bad about him. Not when he's not here. Not when he's weak and finding it hard to live life the way he wants to."

Shou's mother paused and she looked at Kyoko who looked as if she was breaking. This wasn't right for her to do, from a woman whose own husband was dying, she knew that she wouldn't be able to listen to those words being flung around. "Dear," she said as Kyoko's eyes widened.

"I can do it," Kyoko whispered as she felt pain for the people who had given her a place to stay as a child.

"No, dear, I'm not going to let you," the woman replied. "These two aren't dating, in fact Shou never really liked Kyoko. He used her and they separated, Kyoko is married but to somebody else, Kuon Hizuri, and I know this is hard to hear. It's harder though for Kyoko to come here. I think that I would like to meet your real husband, but I know the hardships that my son has put the two of you through."

Kyoko felt the tears in her eyes, "Thank you," she whispered, "May I leave?" she asked as she wanted to wrap her arms around herself and hide from the world.

"My son treated you badly and yet you remain standing, I'm glad that you have that strength," Shou's father said as everyone turned to him in shock. "It is common for people to disagree when teenagers but to change into an independent young lady. I would like to meet this man as well."

Kyoko paused as her eyes widened, she didn't think that Shou's father would ever want to talk about anything other than his perfect Shoutaro. She didn't think he would ever want to meet another one of her lovers, even someone as amazing as Kuon. "Uh…sure," she nodded with a grin. "I mean, I will certainly ask him."

"You will eat too and apologize to him," Shou's father reprimanded the singer and Kyoko grinned.

She just hoped that Kuon would be up for it because that was one dinner that she did not _want_ to miss.

….

Yashiro looked at his friend as Kuon seemed to retreat within himself. "Okay," the manager said as he raised an eyebrow, "Spill what is on your mind. You're the one who said our friendship meant a lot and we have already discussed that you are going to be coming back to acting _once_ you've had the surgery and have recovered. So spill."

Kuon raised an eyebrow, "I'm not sure what you're referring to," he said as Yashiro rolled his eyes.

"Well then neither one of us stands a chance because obviously there is something going on in that mind of yours and obviously we're not going to be able to talk about it until you figure it out," he saw Kuon's weak smile as he looked towards the window.

"I forgot about the seasons," he smiled weakly.

Yashiro rolled his eyes, "Alright, you mean that you've forgotten something important?"

Kuon sighed and looked up, "I mean that I keep putting my illness ahead of everything else. It's as if I've been enclosed in a glass box where the only things that I can think about are my treatments and keeping myself well. I need to focus more on Kyoko and especially on our daughter, I've been very selfish."

"And so you're saying that you've been only seeing from one angle of life since May?" Yashiro asked and then looked down, "At least right now it's October, there's a lot more of the year left. You haven't missed Kyoko's birthday and there's still three months before your child."

Kuon smiled, "I think getting outside of Tokyo helped with that," he commented, "Although I do miss it a lot." He laughed and then bowed his head, "I've really done terribly at being a to-be dad, I'm going to have to apologize a lot to Kyoko to make up for it."

Yashiro sighed, "Kuon, nobody expects for someone to be told their pregnant at the same time as they are battling cancer. I'm glad that the doctors think that you're going to pull through, but I still must stress that you take care of yourself. If you want to return to acting we need you as strong as possible. Plus, the president had to turn an office into a room to store all the fruits basket that you are getting."

Kuon bowed his head, "You should really share those with the employees, I don't think that they are going to -"

"We've been getting the manga too," Yashiro smiled as Kuon blinked in surprise. Yashiro waved it off, "Who can explain the feminine mind," he said as Kuon looked down with a grin.

"I'll have to learn more about it if I'm going to be a good father for her. I'm more worried about my skills as a dad than Kyoko's skills as a mother, I mea-" Kuon started but was cut off when the other resident entered the house.

"I still say it's genetic," Kyoko said as she walked over to Kuon and kissed his cheek, she grinned to Yashiro with a slight bow and then sat down behind her husband. "Just style your fathering after the father that you had. Kuu is a fantastic mentor in all areas of life."

"It's not genetic, it's something that is in your heart that you've created yourself," Kuon said as Yashiro looked to his female friend.

"Kyoko, I think that you and Kuon are both going to be incredible parents, I'm looking forward to those first pictures of the two of you holding the little girl." Yashiro hummed, "Are you back a little earlier than you said you would be. Is everything alright?" he asked concerned. He knew how hard it was to face your past and think about what you had learned from it and how it had changed beyond your expectation.

That was something that Kuon had been doing a lot as well and the concern was on his face again.

"Yashiro, can I talk to Kuon alone?" Kyoko asked as Yashiro paused and stood. Kuon reached out to him again.

"We'll go out to dinner, you call me with the time and place and we'll definitely have dinner with the three of us together," Kuon said as he turned to Kyoko. He wanted to know what had happened. Nothing with the Fuwa family could be good. Even when he had spoken to Kyoko as a child, nothing with the Fuwa family could have been defined as 'ideal'.

"Shou's father is dying," Kyoko began as Yashiro said a quick goodbye. "So, when I went there, Shou's mother treated me as if I was _Shou's_ wife and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know that Shotaro would even turn up but they just wanted me to pretend to be in love with him."

Kuon frowned, he was going to argue that Kyoko could have said no and that she could have refused or found a loophole, but he knew that she wasn't really going to want to hurt a dying man who she felt had given her so much. That wasn't the woman who he had married.

"Then at dinner, he kept insulting you and I had to tell them that I couldn't stand for their lies and their insults and…and…they want you to come to a dinner with them whilst Shotaro's around. They want to create an opportunity for Shotaro to apologize for you. I mean Shou's mother though, she just wants to meet you." Kyoko looked down as she thought about his rejection. "I mean, I know we both don't like him, but Shou's mother even went out of her way to give me some things for your stomach cancer. I'd really like you to meet them or even just say hello to…"

"Can they accommodate a wheelchair?" Kuon asked as he slid his fingers into Kyoko's hair and pulled her in for a kiss. "I have to thank them anyway for taking care of you when I couldn't. I have to thank them for allowing me to meet my princess," he said as Kyoko laughed.

"They'll love you," Kyoko smiled, "If you don't want to then …"

"I want to," Kuon attempted to persuade her, "You just set up the date."

Kyoko grinned as she kissed him passionately again. That was something that she _could_ do.

 **AN 2:**

So, I wrote the last part of this and the first part of this on different weeks so sorry for the disjoint in it. Thank you to everyone who has supported this story and a special thank you to **Crazy4Animation, paulagato** and **Tabbykatroses** for their reviews of the previous chapter 😊


	27. Chapter 26 - Death in the Family

**AN:** Hope you guys enjoy this chapter 😊 I really want to focus on the baby and Kyoko soon but thought that this would be a good chapter to place here. Again, I hope you enjoy

 **Chapter Twenty Six – Death in the Family**

Kuon tried to bring his attention back to his body's core, his center. It didn't seem to be working right now. No matter how many inhales he took, he was still feeling awkward about being here. This was a place that he had never thought that he would be. With all of the stories that were told to him about the Fuwas. He had never expected that he would one day go to see them.

"We can turn back right now," Kyoko said as she kissed his cheek. "I know you have chemo tomorrow, you need to rest up because I know that you won't feel well after it. Have I told you today how proud I am of you and how grateful I am to be your wife?" Kyoko asked and Kuon squeezed her hand.

"I'm just glad that I don't need the chair today," he told her and Kyoko frowned.

What was it with men and the need to act like the world couldn't touch them? Or maybe that was a sexist thought, maybe it was just some kind of stereotype that men couldn't let others see their weaknesses. She gently placed a hand on his back.

"They wouldn't have minded making the accommodations," Kyoko whispered to him. "There have been a lot of people over the years that stayed with them who needed a wheelchair. You can be brave but please don't be foolish?" she asked him with her eyes showing her tears.

Kuon looked down, "Do you remember when I first saw you act?" he asked and Kyoko grinned.

"You mean when I had hurt my ankle and I still attempted to sit as a proper young lady at a tea ceremony?" she asked, "I know. Still, seeing how things worked out, when I look back on that moment I don't see it as brave or courageous, I see it as foolish. I think that at that time you told me that as well. You really did _not_ like me back then," she reminded him. "Look how things have changed."

"I know. I was too prejudicial back then. Still, to enter LME just out of revenge," he hummed and Kyoko grinned.

"I'm glad that I became an actress and to be honest, I'm excited to become a mother. I get to do all of those things with you. I get a kind, supportive, sexy partner in everything that I do," she grinned up at him before hearing the door open and she bowed as best she could whilst also placing a hand on Kuon's chest so that he couldn't strain himself.

"Thank you for inviting us," she said as Kuon looked at her hand and nodded.

Shou's mother smiled to each of them and looked at Kuon. She could see how much the chemotherapy treatments were affecting him. Compared to the magazine pictures she had seen when he had been in his best form, he looked so different. If she hadn't known about his illness, she would have her doubts about this famous actor being who he was.

"Hizuri Kuon," Kuon said as he held out his hand to her. "I would bow were my wife to permit it," he tried to apologize.

"Oh, I really would rather you not strain yourself just out of formality," Shou's mother said quickly. "You're our guest today and I feel that it is my privilege to take care of you especially with how important you are to Kyoko-chan."

Kyoko smiled, "See, they just want to get to know such an important man as my husband and the father to our child," she tried to encourage him before seeing Shotaro and frowned.

"You look like walking death four eyes," Shou said as his mother shot him a look. "I mean, they talk about you being handsome but you really have aged terribly with your choice of condition."

Kuon narrowed his gaze wondering whether to take the nauseous feelings he had inside and turn it into a way of bringing Fuwa down in front of his own mother or whether to take the high ground. Since he was a guest in this house, he really didn't have an option.

"Fuwa, I thought I'd be seeing you today," he said with a Ren Tsuruga smile. Kyoko rubbed his arm affectionately. She was glad that he was bringing that side of himself out, if he had chosen to act as petty as Shotaro it might give the Fuwa family a bad impression of him.

"I'm telling you you look disgusting and worn out, bad time for you choosing to get sick, Hizuri," Shou continued to challenge him and Kuon looked down at his wife who was showing anger in her eyes but a calm smile on her face.

"Is there somewhere for us to sit down," Kyoko asked. "Kuon needs some rest, but he agreed to come today because h-"

"Because I love you," Kuon told her, "and if you weren't brought up kind and honest and hardworking and fearless and so many other things I'd be able to talk about them for hours, we might not be together. This woman, I can tell, has helped you to be that way. I wanted to offer my gratitude for Kyoko being Kyoko."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Shou's mother smiled already seeming charmed by Kuon's friendly attitude. "Kyoko has always been self-sufficient, it's my son over there that has needed to be pampered. I'm sure that with your family and their own wealth, you had a similar upbringing."

Kuon smiled, "My parents made sure that I was never in need of anything," he told her, "but they also wanted me to be able to take care of myself and make something of myself. They weren't afraid to give me the best childhood that they could afford, but they wanted me to earn my living and my life. I think that's what makes Kyoko and I so compatible," he smiled whilst his eyes dared Shou to argue with that.

"I think so too," Shou's mother said as she gestured for them to come to one of the rooms and sit down on a Western style sofa that they had for their international guests. "You two make a very adorable couple and it is so nice to see Kyoko with such a big smile on her face."

Kyoko nodded and reached out to grab onto Kuon's hand. "Kuon makes me feel so fortunate. After my experiences in love, I'm glad I found someone who makes me feel so safe and protected. It's only because of Kuon and who he is that I'm able to live my life in the light rather than behind the scenes in the shadows."

"Well you should be the princess rather than some kind of servant," Kuon said as he wrapped an arm around her and brought her close to him. The two of them stared at Shou in a superior manner since they knew he knew they were talking about him and yet couldn't say anything in front of his mother.

"So," Shou's mother said as she pulled up a chair, "If it's not out of line to ask, how is the therapy going?" she asked and Kyoko placed a hand on Kuon's knee.

"It's hard. I can't even begin to tell you how much harder it is than I thought that it was going to be, but the good thing is that I have a reason to push myself and motivate myself to recovery. I have a little girl and a wife," Kuon squeezed Kyoko's hand. "Can I just thank you for the items you passed along with Kyoko, they've been helping with the pain. Just by using them I feel ready to go back for treatment tomorrow."

"Well they're not helping you grow any hair," Shou said bitterly and at this point his mother turned back to look at him.

"Shotaro, did I teach you to disrespect people especially people who are ill? I thought that with all of your time living as an adult you would have matured and become respectful towards others. Instead all you still care about is yourself. If your father wasn't sick then I would send you back to Tokyo for your appalling disrespect. Do you even have it in you to apologize to two people you have wronged so much?"

There was a cold chill and a silence after Shou's mother had said that. Even though both Kyoko and Kuon took enjoyment in the fact that Shou had just been berated in front of them, they managed to use their acting skills to keep a calm and neutral expression on their faces. Shou, however was stunned that in front of two people he tried to show that he was better than, he had been treated like a fool.

"If you even knew what kind of people they really are," Shou tried to argue but his mother shook her head.

"Kyoko has always been a polite, kind, and understanding girl who is always trying her best. She shows so much consideration to those she is around. I always thought that she was wonderful with our guests and everyone has admired her strength when they learned about her mother. I don't have a doubt that Kyoko-chan wouldn't have chosen to get married to a man who didn't share those values," Shou's mother told him as Kyoko blushed and even Kuon was stunned.

These were the parents of his rival and they were complimenting him.

He saw Shou's mouth drop as he sat there stunned. Was he really not winning against Kuon Hizuri on home turf. If Kuon's parents were here, from what he had heard about them, they would be standing up for their son and defending him despite his past transgressions. Didn't family loyalty dictate that his parents should be doing the same thing for him?

Shou's mother turned back to him and smiled softly, "Shotaro, why don't you see if your father can join us? He should be in the kitchen. Told me that he wanted to prepare something very special for today since Kyoko will be joining us," she said. Shou nodded and turned to the kitchen.

Less than ten minutes later, Shou appeared with his eyes wide and his mouth open in horror, his cell phone to his ear as he said words that nobody wanted to hear. "He's dead or dying or…"

Kyoko gripped tight to Kuon who pulled out his own cell phone.

"Which is it?" he asked Shou as if forgetting there was any rivalry between them. He stood up and Kyoko saw the fear on his face before he followed Shou into the kitchen where it seemed that his father had collapsed but was still alive for the time being.

"I need you to help me get him outside," Kuon said as he looked at his rival. "Usually I can lift this weight by myself but not right now. We need to get him outside so that the paramedics can work on him as early as possible, I'll take his legs, you make sure to support his head."

Kyoko paused as she saw Shou nod to what her husband was saying. She just hoped that everything was going to be okay.

…..

…..

Back at their house, Kyoko put the phone down and went over to her husband as she wrapped her arms around him. "Fuwa-san said that he's going to be okay and that the ambulance came right on time. She said that the doctors said that if you hadn't brought him out there, he would have died," she kissed his cheek. "How's your back feeling?"

"A lot of pain," Kuon said and then saw Kyoko's eyes which held so much pain. "What is it, princess?" he asked as he placed a hand on her cheek and tried to look into her eyes.

"I just," Kyoko sobbed as she cuddled in closer. "Just…I saw her pain and I just…if you died, I'm scared of you dying," she told him. "I'm scared that one day I'll wake up and remember that Kuon Hizuri is no longer in this world. I'm so terrified of losing you and Shou's mother, she had the same emotions in her eyes. I just…"

Kuon held her closer, he kissed her several times hoping to calm her down. It was at this point that there was a knock on the door. "Do you think it's him?" Kuon asked and Kyoko shook her head.

"I don't but I'll be right back," she promised him before walking over to the door of their home. She opened the door and her face turned to one of complete shock.

"Hello, mother."

 **AN:** Thank you to everyone who supports and/or reads this fic. Special shout out to my reviewer of the previous chapter: **Tabbykatroses**


	28. Chapter 27 - Mogami

**AN:** Hope you guys enjoy this latest chapter, there's a big plot twist but I hope you enjoy it 😊

 **Chapter Twenty Seven - Mogami**

Kyoko froze as she stood opposite her mother, she had her mouth open in shock. She wasn't sure what to say or if there was anything that was _right_ to say. Her mother had come to see her when Kuon was in the hospital after the cardiac arrest, but she hadn't said anything and had left her fearing the worst. Maybe the fact that she was here was Shou's mother's doing. Didn't she realize that this woman was not someone who Kyoko wanted to see.

Kyoko dropped down into the best bow she could, unfortunately due to her large belly it wasn't as low as usual. She took a step outside and stood facing her mother. Her socks were getting dirty but she didn't care, she didn't want to have Kuon part of this conversation.

"Well," Saena said as she raised an eyebrow, "I see you've gotten fat."

"Pregnant," Kyoko tried to correct her, her eyes showing a boldness even facing _this_ woman. "I believe that is what you meant."

"So you're still just an insolent brat," Saena coughed as she looked away. "I thought we came to an understanding about just how much I disliked you being in my light, trying to walk behind my shadow," she said as Kyoko stiffened.

"I'm a Hizuri now, part of my husband's family and he is more than happy to let me walk ahead of him in the light," Kyoko said as her back straightened despite the weight of her daughter. "My husband is a good person."

"He's a criminal," Saena said shortly. "Of course, that does suit you, being with a criminal who is apparently still dying. They couldn't fix what he had?" she asked and Kyoko narrowed her eyes. She didn't want to let _anyone_ insult the man she loves.

"I know of his past, mother," Kyoko said before looking back at the closed door. She hoped that Kuon wouldn't come out, she didn't want to make his condition worse especially since he had another round of chemo the next day. "Is there something that you wanted to share that I _don't_ know or did you come here to try to destroy my life?"

Kyoko paused, she was glad that knowing she had Kuon's unconditional support had given her such courage and bravery that she could stand up to her mother in this way. Before she had become his fiancée, maybe she wouldn't have been able to not care in the slightest what she thought of her. As long as Kuon loved her, she would be okay.

"I actually came to talk to your husband, but I suppose you must keep him obedient at all times," Saena laughed. "How the great Tsuruga Ren has fallen. I'm thinking that your relocation is because you married someone with no spine, no guts, and no strength."

Kyoko's expression turned a little darker and she clenched her fists at her sides, "You don't even know him, mother!" she snapped at her. "You don't know how he is brave and courageous and he loves me!" Kyoko's eyes filled with anger, "How dare you come to our home and attack him!?" she said before hearing the door open behind her. She closed her eyes. He had heard her right? That was the reason why he was able to come so quickly. She looked back at him, noticing how his body was shaking. He had been on his feet too long today. "Kuon?" she asked before he looked at the woman before him.

"Hello, Mogami-san," he said with a weak bow and a 'gentleman's smile' on his face. He swiftly placed an arm around Kyoko to protect her, let her know that he was on her side as they stared across at the woman who had done little to raise the strong and pregnant woman. "Can we help you with something?"

Saena gave Kyoko a superior smile and Kuon's eyes widened slightly. He didn't know what this was about but it was upsetting his pregnant wife and he wouldn't stand for that. He made sure that his gently hold was secure. "I actually came to talk to you, Hizuri" she said and Kuon paused.

There was a moment of silence and Kyoko heard the wind above all other sounds. She didn't know who would speak first since the two of them were both quite stubborn people.

"If you don't allow us to talk now," Saena finally decided to say, "I will have to make a public broadcast of this information. I doubt that your precious wife will want that, after all being with you probably has already decreased her popularity. You look very ill."

"He _is_ very ill," Kyoko tried to defend her husband.

Why did this have to happen today? Kuon needed his rest to go through with the treatment plan at the hospital? She knew how hard he was working to get better, to fight against his illness. She knew how important his rest was, that was why they had relocated to Kyoto in the first place. Kuon's health had been improving swiftly due to how hard he had been fighting. Kyoko didn't want this woman to do anything that would cause for him to weaken.

"I will talk to you," Kuon finally said as Kyoko looked at him with concern. "However, whatever you want to say to me, you can say in front of your daughter as well, that is if it's okay with you?" he asked her and Kyoko nodded.

She reached up and let her hand rest against his forehead before kissing his cheek. Kuon tried to give her a reassuring smile, he knew that she was checking his temperature and making sure that he would be okay having a discussion with this woman. It didn't seem that this would be something good and Kuon's health was more important than her own comfort.

"I'll be fine," Kuon attempted to reassure her and Kyoko nodded nervously. She took his hand and then walked with him to the living room, helping him to sit back down. She kissed his cheek again, "Not too late, okay?" she asked nervously. Kyoko turned to face her mother, "I swear," she whispered so that only her mother could hear her, "You make his condition worsen and I will show you where my true family loyalties lie."

She kissed Kuon's forehead and then went to the kitchen, "I'll make us some tea," she said falling into her hospitality mode already. Kuon watched her leave before hearing a question that caught him off guard.

"You really think that you love her, don't you?" Saena asked and Kuon pulled his attention back to her.

"I _do_ love her," he argued though his expression remained as one he had used so often as Ren. "She is an amazing, incredible person that you really missed out on the opportunity and the privilege of knowing."

"That's because you don't know her," Saena said and Kuon watched her. He didn't want to talk about this behind Kyoko's back, but then, on the other hand, he didn't want to upset her either. Talking about her like this would remind her of her childhood and he didn't want to see her face any of those negative memories. He would always strive to protect her and defend her as best he could.

"Unfortunately, you're the one who doesn't know her," Kuon finally growled out. "Do you know how loving and kind she has been to me despite all of my mistakes and all of the ways that _I've_ hurt _her_. She is affectionate, honest, and has such a positive attitude that anyone who actually is a decent human being will fall in love with her. She has more charm in her than anyone I have ever known, genuine charm as well."

"And yet, you don't know the monster that she is. You don't know of her curse, do you?" Saena asked and Kuon finally allowed his expression to fall to show his anger and disgust at these words.

"She has no curse, Kyoko is the best person that I have ever known. If you would just acknowledge that then I'm sure that you'd be happier. I couldn't have gotten through this if it wasn't for her, it's because of Kyoko that I am even alive right now," Kuon said as his words carried through into the kitchen where Kyoko had wrapped her arms around her, her only safety net being the way that her husband adored her.

"She's the reason that you're dying," Saena said, "She destroys everything that she touches," she laughed, "You just can't see it yet, you can't see the monster she is transforming into. Trust me, the way that you are, your illness is because you got too close to the toxicity."

Kuon felt sick inside. He had wanted to give this woman the benefit of the doubt, but he couldn't do that. Nobody came into his home and attacked his wife. It wasn't fair on Kyoko and it definitely wasn't fair on their daughter.

"Please leave," Kuon said bluntly as he stood up. "You've said all that I will permit you to say. Kyoko is beautiful and talented and kind despite all of the pain that she has been through. You have nothing to say."

"What about the fact that she has been promised into the Yakuza?" Saena asked as Kyoko turned the corner, staring at her mother with her eyes wide. Kuon quickly turned to look at her before staring in shock and disbelief back at the foul woman who had given birth to such a wonderful person.

"What are you talking about?" he growled. "What kind of sick joke is that? You wouldn't even have connections to…" he froze as Saena passed him over papers. This was some type of joke, a prank, something that he should dismiss immediately. The words didn't make sense.

"What?" Kyoko asked as Saena looked at her.

"Everyone has connections," Saena said and Kuon paused, he felt sick and Kyoko immediately got to his side and tried to help him sit down. He needed his rest and even some sick ass joke like this might cause too much damage on his system.

"It's okay, Kuon, it's a joke, it's not real," she said although she was afraid of what this woman could do. She had heard stories about her own uncle, secrets that she had kept from Kuon because they were too painful and they weren't something that she felt would affect her. She looked at him and as his hands opened the letter, she saw him read over the paper, his body getting paler by the moment.

Concerned with her husband, Kyoko managed to guide him into a position where he was lying down. She didn't want him to pass out and hurt himself. She was glad that when he did finally lose consciousness, his head was on her lap just in front of her belly. She looked at her mother, her eyes narrowed in warning.

"How dare you," she snapped as Saena looked away.

"I'm assuming that he didn't know about those connections," she said as she gestured to the very ill man, "That's why you can accept his past so easily. Well, it's time for you to pick up the mantle that you were promised as a child," she said as Kyoko tensed.

Why was this happening? Why did her husband now know this very dark and very intimate secret? Would he be okay with this? She let her hand run over his shoulder and down his side as Saena stood up elegantly and made her way out of the house.

Kyoko's heart beat heavily in her chest, would he ever forgive her for this?

 **AN2:** I wonder if anyone was surprised by that, though I had been planning on using it in a fic for a while. I want to thank everyone who supports this fic through reading, favoriting, following, etc. Special shout outs to those who reviewed the previous chapter: **paulagato and Tabbykatroses**


	29. Chapter 28 - Away

**AN:** I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, it leads to a whole new secret with more secrets popping up from there but have to stick to the title 😉 I really hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter Twenty Eight - Away**

Kuon looked up at the ceiling as he lay in the bath. Baths had always been healing for him. They were large pools of water that allowed you to get completely wet and to wash away all of the pains that were carried through life. The doctors had even recommended baths to him if he felt okay with getting in and out with minimal assistance.

The day before he was to have his treatment was always a good day to take one so that he would be ready to have chemotherapy. He couldn't get the idea of Kyoko being promised into the Yakuza out of his mind. What on earth did that mean? His pregnant wife was going to become a mob boss? Maybe someone just under a mob boss.

Okay, this was definitely strange and he had seen her chase people away with strange dark energy waves. Was it a superhero organization? Were those 'grudges' as she had explained to him part of her superpowers. Or, maybe he should be thinking about how he was going to make it through yet another round of chemo treatment.

He heard a knock on the door and sighed, "Come in, princess" he called out to her and Kyoko did so, coming to sit on a chair that they had put in there in case he needed to sit down when straight out of the bath or shower.

"Kuon," Kyoko said in a weak voice, "Are you mad at me?"

Kuon stared at her in a strange way before shaking his head, "No. No, I'm not mad at you. Listen, your mother seems like a woman who has been drinking a little too much," he said as Kyoko looked down. She didn't know what to say in response so she smiled at him.

"Do you remember when you were Cain and you just loved baths?" Kyoko smiled as she attempted to change the topic. She wasn't sure where to start on the whole, your family is part of the Yakuza and that means that you need to be part of the Yakuza story.

"I remember being Kuon too and loving my wife being in the bath with me," Kuon grinned to her as he reached out to hold her hand and found it to be shaking. "When you're not pregnant anymore, we should start taking baths together again."

Kyoko smiled peacefully, "That would be really nice."

There were some slow moments of silence as they two of them tried to figure out what to say first. Kuon wasn't sure whether Kyoko's mother's joke was real even though it didn't seem to be. He didn't know why she would find out where they lived, come to a visit, and then just drop a lie as if it was a joke. There had to be at least some truth in it and he wanted to know how much of it there was. Kyoko, it seemed, didn't want to hurt Kuon by letting information slip. She didn't know what to tell him _especially_ when he would be in the hospital most of the next day.

"I'm going to sort it out," Kyoko said as she stared into space and Kuon looked at her, he felt a little clueless about what she might have meant. "You mean that you'll -"

"Yes," Kyoko nodded, "I'll go find my uncle, tell him that there's been a mistake and that I'm not a Mogami anymore, I'm a Hizuri."

"Okay," Kuon said, "You're going to do this whilst you're pregnant with our child? You're going to do this alone?"

"I think that I can," Kyoko said, "If my uncle respects anything it's the idea that someone can stand up to him without shaking. If I say that I can't do it because I'm part of the Hizu-"

"Can I ask if anyone else has ever tried your strategy before?" Kuon asked, "Anyone who has taken on the name of his or her husband when they got married?" Kyoko nodded, "and what happened to the husband?"

"He…was kill-" Kyoko said nervously and then paused. She watched Kuon with her heart breaking. "They can't do that to you. You're too strong, you're inhuman, Kuon…I mean in a good way."

Kuon took a deep breath in, "Moving focus away from _that_ topic, they could kill me or our daughter or you. They could find a way of doing harm to all three of us at once."

"You'll be in the hospital," Kyoko told him as Kuon sighed.

"I was watching this drama the other night, I know I don't actually watch a lot of TV but it was one I had passed up and I wanted to see if I had made an error in judgment. A character died because someone blew air bubbles into their IV and they had a stroke," Kuon told her. "Which means you need to be extremely careful with how you handle them."

"You know that I can't leave you tomorrow," Kyoko said as she felt herself tremble, "I have to be with you then, every moment so that they don't hurt you and I'm not going to get divorced from you. Whatever they try to convince me of."

Kuon looked at her, "Divorce?" he asked

"They might want to marry someone Japanese, one of their own, I can't do that I have you. Are you sure that you weren't affiliated with a gang in America, Kuon. It doesn't even need to be a large gang, in fact it's probably better if it isn't large."

"Free agent," Kuon sighed as he looked up. "I wish I was in better health, nobody would dare mess with you if I was at the top of my game."

"I wish you were in better health too," Kyoko hummed, "for a number of reasons."

…

…

Kyoko had been scared to leave Kuon in the room alone whilst he had the usual drug cocktail running through his body. She was a little afraid of him taking it but everything seemed to be going okay at the time being. She sighed as she stretched out in front of her and then looked at her phone. Maybe if she called her mother, she would have some better ideas about how to handle the situation.

She looked down as she pushed in the buttons and was surprised to see that her mother was standing right in front of her with a man about Kuon's age right next to her. This man was only a few inches shorter than Kuon and he was dressed in excellent fashion. His eyes however didn't have the light that Kuon's did, they were a deep and dark brown that made chills go through Kyoko's body.

She immediately stepped in front of the closed door, her heart beating in her chest. "Hello," she said afraid to bow to this man because she didn't want him to get to Kuon when Kuon was in this type of vulnerable situation.

"Why, Miss Kyoko, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance seeing as how we will be spending a lot of time together, of course," the man said as he reached out and touched Kyoko's belly. "This will be a little bit of a problem in the long run."

Kyoko tried to swat the man's hand away, she didn't want anyone to get to her and Kuon's daughter.

"Good thing that she won't be in there for much longer but my husband and I are extremely excited to be welcoming her into our world. We're going to be a family which is far more than you were, mother," she argued and Saena looked at her in anger before striking her cheek.

"You don't talk like that you insignificant weasel," Saena huffed and Kyoko looked at them.

"Whatever it is, whatever you think you're doing here. I'm not interested," she attempted to tell them as she placed her hands over her daughter protectively. "I'm not interested in being a Mogami. I married Kuon Hizuri and…"

"and he seems to be in the way too. I mean, I've heard that he can handle himself the way that any old street dog can that you find in Los Angeles," the man said, "but he's not house trained. He was raised as a mutt, a mongrel breed. He is not pedigree and he doesn't know what it takes to enter a world where he is socially unwelcome."

Kyoko laughed bitterly, "With his charm, he could become welcome anywhere very easily." Kyoko turned to her mother, "I am finally happy. I finally have a life that you could never provide for me. It's a life that I didn't think that I'd be able to have. It's not fair for you just to come here and attempt to take it away from me."

Saena laughed, "Well, if you don't want him dead there is another option."

Kyoko raised an eyebrow, she didn't want to hear this but she already knew what her mother was going to say.

"You can take it all away from him, not forever though…we'll let you know when your time is up," Saena said as Kyoko felt her heart beat pounding in her chest. Was her mother telling her that she needed to leave her sick husband and not allow him to meet his daughter. Was she supposed to just cut him out of her life as if he were no more important than a wisdom tooth. Still, she could tell from this mysterious man that if she argued against this, a worse fate would meet Kuon.

"I have some conditions, three conditions," Kyoko said as she looked at the door to the room wondering whether this would be alright with him and wondering if he could forgive her for it.

"I told you that she was disobedient," Saena said and Kyoko looked around with a sharp glare.

"Four, I have four conditions. First. Even though I am coming with you unless he chooses for it, I am still his wife and he is still my husband. Second. He is not to be hurt, not now and not in the future. I don't know if he'll heal from the stomach cancer but I have faith in him. Third, this ends in under six months and I am allowed to come back and be with him and Fourth, he gets the baby and in the event that he isn't here, the baby is to be raised by Julienna Hizuri."

"You think that his mother can do better than -"

"Yes," Kyoko nodded. "Yes. I do and I know you're a lawyer and this is a verbal contract. If you want me to come with you and not shame the Mogami name and save you from any harm, this is a contract that you must keep," she said feeling sorry that Kuon wasn't going to be beside her when she gave birth to his first child.

"Then I have one condition to add myself," Saena said, "You come immediately without saying goodbye to him. If you trust him so much then you'll come. I'll permit you to call the president of your old company one time to explain all of this and you must not go into detail."

Kyoko took a shaky breath and looked back at the closed door, "I'm so sorry, Kuon."

 **[End Chapter 28]**

 **AN2:** Thank you so much to everyone who supports this fic in the various ways that you do so. A special shout out to the reviewers of Chapter 27: **Ashenvale, ladygraywolf, Tabbykatroses**


	30. Chapter 29 - Special Delivery

**AN:** Thank you for your patience when it comes to the update of this fic 😊 I really do hope you enjoy it.

 **Chapter Twenty-Nine – Special Delivery**

Kyoko had felt so alone since she had left Kuon that day. He had been set on the road to recovery before this had happened and she had left him, was it too much to hope that he was doing even better since that day? She closed her eyes as she lay in the dimmed room with one of the yakuza-aligned doctors beside her. There was so much that she had gone through and so much that she still had to do to be able to separate the Mogami name from these fools.

If only she could tell Kuon why she wasn't there to help him fight. She had been able to give a vague reason to Kuu for it, but she was sure that the Hizuri family felt in the dark about all of this. Kyoko felt another pain in her body as she attempted to give birth to her daughter… _his_ daughter. "Come on," she whispered to herself before taking a deep breath in and managing to push the baby out of her body.

She looked at the small form and tears filled her eyes. She reached out so that she could hold her little girl, mentally kicking herself over and over for denying Kuon the chance to be by her side during the birth of his first child. She heard the crying and looked upon the one joy she had been able to take with her. She had a selfish part of her that wanted to take her and claim her for herself but it was outweighed with love for her new family even if Kuon might never forgive her.

"So, have we got a place set up for that one?" a man asked Saena who was standing with a bored expression so as not to show her own pain at seeing this.

"Her father!" Kyoko said quickly and just loud enough to be heard, "She'll be named by her father. Please just take her to him."

"I've heard that Kuon Hizuri isn't doing very well these days," the doctor said to her and Kyoko tensed up again. She closed her eyes. In her current position, she hadn't been able to turn on the news and so she didn't know what was happening. Had she broken his heart to a point where it couldn't be fixed any longer? Kuon would never take that anger out on his child, would he?

"Then Hizuri Julienna, you promised" she growled to her mother.

"Fine, set things up with Hizuri and see what state her son is in. It might not be too late for the child to be raised by a biological parent," she said as Kyoko put a hand to her heart and gazed upon her daughter. She really really hoped not.

…

…

Julie had been skeptical about the message that she had received asking her to come to the coffee shop. She hadn't known what had gone on in Kyoto, but she had seen how Kuon had improved in his condition before he crashed and his progress started going backwards. She wasn't sure why Kyoko had left, she didn't think it was because Kyoko didn't love her son anymore, but it was horrible to think about her little boy not getting to be the future father that he was excited about becoming.

Kuu had suggested that he would go in her place, but Julie had said that the person wanted to meet her specifically and that Kuu should make sure that Kuon was being cared for. It didn't stop Lory from sending someone to casually watch her during this meetup.

Julie stiffened as she looked up to see a man in a suit coming up to her with a box. Julie held to her cup of coffee and she tried to glare the man down. She was the daughter of an American man, but her Russian heritage was also in her blood and neither Americans or Russians should be made to feel uncomfortable. Maybe she'd one day make a good government agent.

"You're Hizuri," the man said as he put down a box on the table and it started moving, he looked at the tag on the side and ripped it off. "I need you to sign this," he said bluntly as Julie raised an eyebrow. She took a brief gaze at the man that Lory had sent to be her bodyguard.

"And why should I sign that?" Julie asked, she didn't like how her family had told her that she wouldn't be able to stand up to a gang member and that Kuu should go instead because of how he had handled some of Kuon's problems during their time in the US. Julie didn't want to remind them as to how she had swallowed her fears and gone to the families and agencies of those who had hurt her son after he had left. She was just as good as her husband.

"It's yours, gift from Kyoko," he said as Julie glared again.

She wasn't sure what was in this box and before he could force her to sign, she opened the box and her eyes widened, tears filling them. "Oh, hi there," Julie whispered as she smiled at the baby who was only a number of days old. "Is this my granddaughter?" she asked as she smiled at the baby and tried to get her out of the box. "Hello there, my darling," she said as she started to cradle the baby.

"The papers say that she is the property of her father but we need you to sign the packing slip," the man said again. Julie knew that she wasn't going to get anything else out of this and that doing more might cause harm to the tiny infant. She quickly looked through the paperwork, making sure to read every line and check if there was any writing anywhere she wasn't seeing it. Then she signed and gave it to the man.

"We will find her and we will bring her home," Julie said as the guy picked up the box, dumped some paperwork, a blanket, and a pink teddy bear on the counter and the walked off with the box itself. Julie allowed her fingers to brush against the baby's head as she wrapped her blanket around her, already getting memories of the little girl's father when he was a tiny infant.

"Your daddy is going to be so excited to see you," Julie said as she smiled at the green-eyed little girl. She looked up at the guard as he made his way over to her and gently leaned down next to her.

"I'll get the car and I'll take you back," he told her as Julie smiled. She nodded before leaving for the Tokyo home that she and Kuu had invested in.

…..

…

Kyoko hadn't been able to trust him to help her, either it was from her not thinking that he was in a condition where he could help her or whether it was from her not wanting to burden him, Kyoko hadn't been able to trust him to help her. Why would she though? He couldn't even improve his _own_ condition. At least, that's what Kuon kept telling himself.

Today was no different, the doctors were telling him to get better but Kuon didn't want to care about that anymore. After all of the fights that he had been through, all of those final blows that he had dealt on the cold streets of Los Angeles and now he was being denied any part of helping his wife fight her demons because he wasn't able to fight against the stomach cancer or at least not well enough to do both.

He had already had to overcome the fact that he hadn't been able to track her down and that she had left months ago, that he wouldn't be there to see his child being born or even to hold her in his arms. He hadn't been there because she had chosen for him to not experience those important moments and he knew that if he had recovered or if he had never been sick, he would have found her and the three of them would be together.

It sucked to be sick, but it sucked even worse to know that you missed out on your wife's birthday as well as your child's because your body wasn't healthy enough.

"Is that her?" Kuon asked as he looked up from the sofa bed that they had put in for him because it was more comfortable than resting on a sofa and more aesthetically pleasing than a bed in the middle of the living room, though neither of the Hizuri parents cared what looking like great interior design compared to their son's health. It was for that reason they had chosen to have two bedrooms. When he was doing better and the hospital gave acknowledgment of this, Kuon would transition back to living alone.

"I think so," Kuu nodded, "You just try and sleep," he started walking towards the door before looking back to his son. "I'm going to LME tonight to meet up with a few old friends, is there anything that you'd like me to say about you or any person you want me to try to talk to and give a message to?" he asked and Kuon shook his head.

"Not unless you see Kyoko," he whispered as Kuu sighed.

"I'll handcuff her and drag her back here myself, " Kuu said as Kuon laughed bitterly.

"I'd give her the handcuffs, would probably be easier that she did it herself if she did want to go back and if she doesn't, then she'll have made it clear," Kuon said as he attempted to close his eyes. "You do realize that I can live alone, I'm not a little boy anymore."

"That's such a cruel thing to say," Julie said as she entered from the hallway and Kuu's eyes widened as he saw the baby in her arms. Julie quickly placed a finger on her lips. "Is he doing okay?" she asked as Kuu stared down at the newborn whilst his body was filling with a warming light.

"Kuon," Kuu said as he saw the man look up at them before he blinked hard. Getting to his feet, he walked over to his mother and his heart melted as he saw the tiny baby who was sleeping in her grandmother's arms.

"Is this?" he asked and Julie smiled as the baby weakly opened her eyes.

"Yeah, this is your Daddy," Julie told the little girl as Kuon smiled weakly, his eyes now glazed over with tears and he had to steady himself as Julie allowed him to finally hold his daughter. "You are such a sweetie," she said as Kuu placed a hand on Kuon's shoulder in an attempt to steady him.

"Why don't we go sit down with her and then we can use the -"

"Can we put her in the room that I'm in?" Kuon asked desperately and Julie hesitated before nodding. She would try to keep a watch over his condition and make sure that him taking care of her wasn't affecting his illness and that his illness wasn't hurting her. However, she couldn't deny her son the opportunity to become closer with his own child, a child that he was scared about not seeing.

"Yes, that should be fine," Julie said before dropping down to her knees in front of Kuon and saw the little girl enjoy being with her Daddy. "You're going to be such a great father, Kuon," she attempted to encourage him.

"I think that her mother would be better for her," Kuon said, "What's her name?" he asked as Julie shifted.

"Kyoko left it up to you to decide," she said as her son gazed down at his daughter and thought about how strange a situation this was to be born into.

 **End Chapter Twenty-Nine**

 **AN2:** I recently managed to complete my physical collection of Skip Beat manga so yay 😊 Unfortunately I sold a whole lot of it in 2013/2014 but I'm getting it back, but now I am addicted to this old manga 'Chi's Sweet Home'. 😊 Sooo adorable.

Anyway thank you to everyone who reads and supports this work with a special shout out to: **paulagato** and **Tabbykatroses**. ….wow, and I just got done talking about cats 😉


	31. Chapter 30 - The Return

**AN1:** I hope you enjoy this chapter 😊 I just wanted to say that I am thankful for everyone's patience because despite how much I love writing my fanfiction, it's not a priority for me and I can also get unmotivated when it comes to certain stories. My two top priorities are my school (I'm studying court reporting and have about 25 hours of homework and 3 hours of class a week. If I slow down I'm not going to meet my goals) and work (I work retail which, anyone else who might work, knows it is physically demanding. I work about four or five days a week part time and have been recently getting between twenty-four and twenty-nine hours a week). So, if I don't update for some time it's not that I don't want to, it's that I'm tired and unmotivated and stressed. I don't mean to keep you waiting but with about fifty-six hours (plus an additional ten for cool down from work) so sixty-six hours counted for each week, sometimes I don't get to update. Sorry for my rant.

 **Chapter Thirty - Return**

"You can go now, you have completed your family duties."

Kyoko raised her head from where she was positioned in a dogeza. It had been about one month since she had given birth to her daughter and she had heard that it was Julie who had taken her in. She didn't know what that meant about Kuon. Was he just unsure about how to take responsibility for his child or was it something worse? Was he physically incapable of doing so.

Kyoko felt her voice shake as she asked a question that had been dancing on the tip of her tongue for so long, "Am I allowed to go home?" she asked them only to receive a nod.

She stood, feeling shaky on her legs, before bowing respectfully and running out without a word to anyone. She didn't know how to explain this but she knew she wanted to be with Kuon. Would he forgive her for leaving him? Would he condone her as a bad mother and not allow her to see their child? What was her child's name? Had Kuon named them something strange? Kyoko sighed, she hadn't expected him to do that, but she just wanted to be back home.

Dashing towards the train station she purchased a ticket for the fastest train to see him. She didn't care what she left behind, Corn was in her pocket already as was her wedding ring. She just wanted to see him and have him hold her in his loving arms.

She closed her eyes, ignoring everyone looking at her and watching what she would do. All she could think about was him. She pulled her phone out from her bra, ignoring everyone looking at her. That was the place she had found that it was best to hide it and she smiled as she finally turned it on. She saw that they had unlocked it from the ban they had put on it and grinned as she found the picture of the two of them together. Finally she'd be able to hear his voice again.

"Hello," a very neutral and emotionless voice could be heard on the other end. Kyoko froze, it didn't have the warmth that it had had before. She looked down at the date and her eyes widened. It was February 10th? Had they known that this was the day her husband had been born? Did they even care?

"Kuon, I…" Kyoko said not sure which words to use, "I…umm…I'm so sorry for…"

"Is something wrong?" he asked as Kyoko noticed a slight concern in his voice, but it still was mostly without emotion. "Is there something that I can send? Is there something that you wanted to talk about?"

"I want to see you, Kuon. That's alright isn't it…I know that I…I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I'm so sorry that I left especially when you needed me. I'm sorry," she said as she started to bow despite the fact she was wearing the clothes they had forced her to wear, a black yukata.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, "Yes. That should be alright. Where can I meet up with you?"

Kyoko tried to ignore the way his voice sounded. She tried to smile through the pain that his lack of emotion was filling her with. "I'm coming home if that's alright?" she asked him. "They let me go."

"I've moved, I'll text you the new address," Kuon said in a way where Kyoko could see the anger that Tsuruga-san had often given her. She could imagine the smile not even being on his face. Had she hurt him that much? No, Kuon would forgive her because that was part of his nature, it was part of the reason she loved him so much.

"I'd appreciate it," Kyoko said with tears in her eyes. "I just have one question," she said before Kuon cut her off.

"Aurora Julienna Hizuri," he told her as she smiled and gave a breath of relief. He had already been anticipating the question and he had named her one of the names that she had suggested. She couldn't believe that after all she had put him through, he had still followed her stupid wish to name the baby after a Disney princess.

"I can't wait to see the two of you," Kyoko smiled before hearing the silence again. "Kuon, are you okay? Is there something that I can help you -"

"I'll text you the address," Kuon said, "I suppose I'll see you soon."

"Yes," Kyoko said quickly, "I'll see you soon. I love you."

Kyoko found her jaw to drop as Kuon ended the phone call without repeating that sentiment. Despite being on a train, Kyoko pulled her knees up to her chest. She felt so small. Had Kuon actually fallen out of love with her? Had she caused such a divide between the two of them that he wanted their marriage to end? This wasn't the Kuon that she knew.

…..

…

Kuon smiled at his daughter lovingly as he set her down in her crib. Since he had had Aurora, his strength had improved by his fighting spirit and even Kuu and Julie had admitted it was time for him to start living in his own house, after all he and Kyoko had been saving up to live in a house of their own for a long time.

Kuon had kept all of Kyoko's things in boxes since he didn't know where to place them, but hopefully now she would be able to put them in places that were meaningful to her. He didn't know what had happened or if she even knew the date, but his birthday wasn't important and he wasn't going to ask. He loved her and all that mattered was the fact that she was safe.

However, the experience had changed him and turned him even more silent than he had been before. Despite having been the charismatic Ren Tsuruga in front of the camera, he was now more careful on his words. Handling the cancer, which was now nearly out of his system (with his hair growing back as well), really made him more introspective about the world and reserved.

He smiled down at Aurora as she woke up. "Hi, sweetheart," he said as he felt her grab hold of his hand. "Today's an exciting day. I know Grandma told you it was exciting because it's Daddy's birthday, but today Mommy comes home. I'm sure she's so excited about seeing you again. You'll be able to see for yourself that Daddy's stories were correct."

Aurora yawned before trying to reach up for him and Kuon brought the tiny baby into his arms. He walked over to a chair that was in the nursery and sat down with her. "I hope that Mommy will think that I did a good job raising you because I don't know if you remember all of the mistakes that Daddy made. We're going to have to do our best to make Mommy feel happy and at home, but this is our home too and I'm sure Mommy will be happy to see you again."

Aurora smiled and Kuon held her close. He was happy that Kyoko was back, but there was a part of his heart that had been hurt with her leaving and never making contact. She had told his father but it was as if she hadn't trusted him to support her. Well, he hadn't supported her rashness but he loved her dearly.

As Aurora started to sleep again and Kuon was able to put her down once more, he heard a tentative knock on the door followed by a single press of the doorbell. He smiled at the tiny girl once more before going to the door. He didn't care that he was wearing sweat pants and a T-shirt. He shouldn't worry about the way in which Kyoko would see him, he should just care about her return.

…..

…..

Kyoko paced back and forth in front of the house. It was a nice house and had been the type of house that she and Kuon had discussed in the past, but it felt as if she was intruding on him. She just hoped that when she saw him, she'd feel at home. As the door was unlatched and then opened her heartbeat quickened and she looked up to see him…and the neutral expression on his face.

"Hi," she said weakly before dropping into a bow, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Kuon looked at her and nodded. "Do you want to come in? It looks as if it's cold outside."

Kyoko blinked. This wasn't the homecoming that she had imagined, this wasn't the part where Kuon took her into his arms and vowed never to let her go from him again. She couldn't even detect his emotions, which was something she had always been able to do. She nodded, "Yes," she said nervously. "It is cold. This outfit isn't really weather appropriate."

"You should get changed then," he said, "Your clothes are in a couple of bags, but I can help you find them if you'd like."

Kyoko froze. Was he this angry with her? She couldn't really expect for him _not_ to be angry but it was as if she was a stranger to him. She smiled weakly as she looked at him. He was standing by himself, his hair, though short, was growing back and his eyes had more life to them. Had the cancer left? Had he finished his chemotherapy treatments?

"Oh, is it really alright for me to come in?" she asked as he nodded. "Okay, then," she bowed again before going into the house and looking around. She noticed that Kuon had prominently placed photographs of the two of them as well as gifts that she had bought him over the years. Her belongings hadn't been put out but Kuon was always respectful enough not to move her own items.

"Did you want to see her? I can get your bag if -" Kuon began but Kyoko turned to face him.

"I love you, Kuon. I'm so sorry. I really really missed you, I didn't want to -" Kyoko interrupted him as she still noticed that distant expression on his face. After all of the forgiveness that she had given him and all of the support, he should be able to forgive her for this, right?

"The room is over here," he gestured to the nursery. "She's sleeping but she might wake up. I've been making sure to take proper care of her."

Kyoko's heart stopped. He hadn't told her that he loved her. Had he stopped loving her in the time that she had been away? She felt tears start to gather in her eyes but attempted not to let them show. All she wanted was for him to hold her the way that he used to and tell her how much he cared about her.

As she followed him to the room, she noticed a small cake sitting in the kitchen and paused. Had she wished him happy birthday yet? Was that what was wrong? She could only imagine it being Julie who would buy him a cake. Were Kuu and Julie still in Japan? Was Kuon seeing somebody else…if that was the case then she wouldn't blame him.

"Umm…Kuon," Kyoko said as she came to touch his arm and he flinched. She took a few steps back, her eyes widening, but she didn't want to stop smiling in hope that he'd return it. "Happy Bir-"

"She's in here," Kuon said as he brushed off her words again and Kyoko froze.

"Okay," she nodded as he let her into the room and she gazed upon her daughter. She saw her open her gorgeous green eyes and she had light brown, nearly blonde hair. She looked like a female and mini Kuon. "Can I hold her?" she asked him as he nodded.

"I'll come back with your clothes," he said as Kyoko gently took the little girl into her arms.

"Hi," she said as the girl sort of smiled, "I'm so sorry I left you, Aurora," she kissed the baby on the cheek. "You're so pretty and you look so much like your Daddy. I'm sure Daddy's been looking after you very well, he's Daddy after all. Do you know that he's a very kind and gentle person and I'm sure that he loves you so much." Kyoko looked down not knowing that Kuon was outside the room. "I don't know if he loves Mommy any more, but Mommy loves Daddy with her whole heart just like she thinks she loves you."

Kuon looked down. He _did_ love her, but he couldn't deny the feelings that he had and the anger he held towards himself. He looked down before knocking gently on the door and turning around. As Kyoko opened the door she saw his back and looked down. She wasn't getting those angry feelings from him, she wasn't seeing him bitter and being stubborn. She could only see one emotion from him: pain.

 **End Chapter Thirty**

 **AN2:** Thank you to everyone who supports and reads this story. A special shout out to: **Erza, paulagato** , and **Tabbykatroses** for their reviews of the previous chapter.


	32. Chapter 31 - The Guilty Party

**AN:** I was originally thinking of putting this chapter up tomorrow but people started to think that Kuon had fallen out of love with her and no, that didn't happen but I think I emphasized the intensity of his love in a way only I understood it. Well, chapter 250 hurt my heart I don't like being toyed with once a month, but yay. I have fanfiction. I really hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter Thirty-One – The Guilty Party**

After spending some time with her daughter and picking out an outfit, a comfy pair of pajamas she wore when she didn't feel like wearing a nightdress, Kyoko came into the living room area where she saw Kuon going over some paperwork. She didn't know whether to approach him or not. It looked as if he was trying to figure out something serious.

Taking a deep breath in, she approached her husband. "Kuon?" she asked as he turned to look at her, the same emotionless eyes watching her.

"Yes, is there something that you want to talk about?" he asked as he quickly tried to avoid eye contact with her. Was he that angry with her? She just wanted to fall into a dogeza and beg for forgiveness, after all he had always been understanding with her, but maybe that would be an inconvenience to him as well.

"Your eyesight," Kyoko said as Kuon looked up at her, "You're wearing glasses now but you weren't when you opened the door." She commented as Kuon took off the frames and folded them.

"When I'm looking at the small print on written documents I have to wear them," he told her. Kyoko nodded with a weak smile. "Is there something else that you wanted to talk about?" he asked her and Kyoko looked down nervously.

"Is there a place for me to sleep tonight? I don't want to poke around too much but if you could tell me where the guest room is lo-" Kyoko said as she finally saw a glimmer of shock on Kuon's face but after only a few moments that too had faded.

"Oh," he said softly, "Yes, the guest room," he repeated. "Would you like a tour of the house?" he asked and Kyoko looked at him. That would be adding too much trouble to what he was already giving her, she really didn't want to inconvenience him any further. Was the shock on his face because he didn't think that she would be spending the night? Should she just find a hotel?

"That's alright," Kyoko attempted to smile. "Just the guest room. I wouldn't want to inco-"

"No. It's not an inconvenience," he said quickly before looking away, "but if you don't want one then…"

"Kuon," Kyoko said as she stood there and tried to examine all the changes that her husband had gone through whilst she had been away. She approached him but paused as he shifted away from her. This wasn't like him at all. She took a step back. "Are you alright?" she asked. He nodded immediately and looked around as if he was searching for the answers. "So, the guest room."

"Yes," Kuon said as he stood up and put the glasses down next to the papers. "It's not as nice as ou—the main bedroom," he tried to correct himself as Kyoko looked at him. Was he about to say that it was their bedroom? No. He had changed that. It was probably what he was most used to using with her and so he had corrected himself.

"Kuon," Kyoko stopped as she looked at him. "I'm sorry."

He nodded, not responding to that and Kyoko could see his …awkwardness? She froze, since when had either Ren or Kuon ever been awkward? He was the emperor. The king of charisma, now he just seemed to be stumbling.

"No. I am _really_ sorry," she told him only for him to nod again. "Kuon, what is with you? Scold me. Glare at me. Anything. Just please don't hide your emotions away. Imagine that I'm Bo, what would you say to me if I-"

As if a gong had been hit, Kyoko saw Kuon's shoulders sag and felt the depression around him. This wasn't anger but she did know this chill in the air.

"Could you please stop apologizing to m-me?" he asked her and Kyoko's eyes widened at how his voice broke. Kyoko paused, maybe he was going to tell her that apologies weren't enough to make up for what she had done and how she had left him? Was he going to tell her that he didn't want to even hear her voice?

"Kuo-" she said as she reached out to him and saw him flinch again.

How could she continue with this interaction without apologizing to him? She took a few steps forwards and her eyes widened as she saw the complicated pain on his face. It was mixed with guilt and regret. She paused. Was he not as angry with her as she thought.

"I didn't keep you safe," he whispered as Kyoko froze. She awkwardly shifted in her spot. This was more like the Kuon that she knew and she realized that his distance was from him feeling the guilt of her leaving. Despite how everyone had said that Ren Tsuruga was the best, Kyoko had been one of the few to break through that perception and see the self-hatred and low self-esteem that Kuon bore towards himself.

"Kuon, it was my decision to go. I'm the one who -" Kyoko tried to remind him but she saw the way he was drowning inside of his own head. "Kuon. You haven't done anything wro-"

"The guest bedroom is that one," Kuon said as he attempted to turn and move past her without another word. Kyoko could definitely see all the pain and sadness in his eyes but as she attempted to reach out for him, he pulled away from her.

"Kuon!" Kyoko called out for him. He stopped but didn't look around at her. "Please don't run away from me. I know you're hurting and I know when you're hurting you sometimes close yourself off from the world. I know you have trouble thinking that unless you're being heroic or self-sacrificing that you should be punished. I know _all_ of this," she attempted to tell him. "I know how you are but I love you even though you do shut yourself off thinking that you don't deserve to be happy."

"I didn't keep you safe!" Kuon told her, projecting his voice more than he meant to. "That's what matters," he told her as he looked back at her and she wanted to wrap her arms around him and take away his pain. "If I had been stronger I would have found you. I would have fought for you. I couldn't keep you safe, I couldn't even find you to make sure that you were alive."

"I'm so sorry," Kyoko whispered as she dropped into another bow. "I knew how you would feel, but I couldn't contact you. I'm so sorry," she told him. "You kept our daughter safe."

"I'm sorry," Kuon told her as he turned to face her. "I can't have this conversation right now. I hope you have a good sleep, Kyoko."

"You know," Kyoko whispered, "there was this actor who I really admired when I started off as an actor and he always tried to be self-sufficient. I was assigned to this actor as a temporary manager, but the actor got sick. I told him to rely on me and even though we weren't on the best of terms, he did. I mean, he was a little selfish and deducted ten points from his own stubbornness," she saw Kuon smile a little. "That actor though, he kept me going, he made my life fulfilled and happy. He made he understand love and because I knew him I was able to get stronger and create my own precious life. When I found out that he was my prince I knew that there would never be anybody like him. He is the most precious person to me no matter what he calls himself."

Kuon hesitated as he looked at her like a guilty puppy.

"Ren Tsuruga never gave up on me. Yes, he could tease me and toy around with me, but every movement he made was to make me stronger and to give me confidence. Maybe you think as Kuon you can't do anything right, but there's still a lot of Tsuruga-san inside of you. Even if you can't talk to me as Kuon because of how hurt you feel, I'd still like to talk to you even if you need to get Tsuruga-san's help to do so."

"Ren would have never let this happen either," Kuon argued.

"Maybe not, but he would have listened to me and maybe I couldn't listen to him in the same way, but he always seemed so strong and mature. I prefer Kuon, but if you need to be Ren to cope with this then that's good with me as well," Kyoko attempted to reassure him.

"You're really alright with something like that, Hizuri-san?" Kuon said as Kyoko grinned seeing him pretending to be Ren Tsuruga once again. She nodded.

"Good evening, Tsuruga-san," she smiled hoping that this way she could get through to Kuon underneath the protective layer. "Is there something that I might be able to help you with."

"You mean for a Love Me assignment?" he asked her as Kyoko saw his unease but at least he was talking to her.

"Sure, give me an assignment. I'll do my best to complete it to your satisfaction, Tsuruga-san," she said as she made a peace sign causing Kuon to laugh a little.

"Well, there's this guy who has been depressed and I was hoping you could cheer him up, is that something that you're capable of?" he asked as Kyoko smiled with her hands together in front of her. "He's upset because he feels like he screwed up his marriage and let down his wife."

"I don't think he did that at all," Kyoko smiled, "but I'd be happy to try to cheer him up. It wasn't something stupid like his heart getting eaten by someone manipulative, right?"

"No." Kuon said suddenly before turning the Kuon emotions more into the ones that Ren had. "Why would you say something like that, Hizuri-san? It's improper to go charging in when it's this delicate of a situation. Don't you want to get all the facts first before making accusations. No, it isn't his wife who he's upset with, it's himself."

"But you didn't do…I'm sure that this man hasn't done anything wrong. Are you sure that it's him who is the problem?" Kyoko said nervously

"It would be better if the stains of the man are cleaned from this world," Kuon said as Kyoko blinked confused about that.

"Sorry, what was that, Tsuruga-san. I didn't quite hear it?" Kyoko attempted to smile through it.

Kuon paused and looked down. Kyoko took a step forward as she saw him holding to his wrist and saw him take a step back. She looked at him confused.

"Tsuruga-san?" she asked but he wasn't reacting to her. "Uh, Tsuruga-san," she attempted again before seeing that Kuon was holding his arm exactly where his watch used to be which reminded him of Rick. Had things become too real for him? "Kuon," she asked.

"It's good that you're back," Kuon told her as Kyoko smiled weakly but then realized that the way in which Kuon was saying this didn't sound entirely happy. "It's good for Aurora that she has one of her parents with her."

Kyoko tilted her head to the side with a furrowed brow, "But you're here…" she told him as she looked at how dead his eyes looked. She shouldn't have tried to use Ren to get under his skin but if he was refusing to talk to her as Kuon then could she have had another way? She saw him run his hand through the short strands of hair and turn. "Kuon," she whispered. She took a deep breath before running towards him, she didn't care if he threw her onto the ground.

There was more of a chance of that happening anyway, "Please don't leave us, Kuon."

 **Chapter Thirty-One**

 **AN2:** I think I'm going to pout over Chapter 250 again 😉 However, thank you for all of the readers and supporters of this fic. Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Thirty: **Ashenvale, brennakai, Erza, and PaulaGaTo**


	33. Chapter 32 -Home doesn't have an address

**AN:** I feel that this chapter is a little off but then I did write it during a time when I felt my depression was coming back :/ Well I still hope that you enjoy. I hope this won't be taken as a moan but I've found that a lot of stories that were once popular are getting zero reviews on chapters and I don't know what that is. Next round of updates though I will be primarily focusing on stories that had at least two reviews the previous chapter.

 **Chapter Thirty Two: Home doesn't have an address**

How come his chest always felt so warm? Why did crying into it feel so safe? Why was this place where she could call home? Kyoko took deep breaths as she felt Kuon hold her to his chest. He was finally holding her and not acting distant and it was because she had tried to hug him. He was always good at knowing when to _react_ to these loving moments even though he sometimes stumbled in making them.

"Are you okay?" he asked concerned and Kyoko looked up to see the concern and unease in his eyes. He looked away as the two of them made eye contact but Kyoko just held to him closer.

"I'm okay," she told him, "as long as I'm right here, I'm okay. As long as I'm with you, I'm okay."

Kuon shook his head, "I can't imagine that you are okay. You've just been with the Yakuza for months. If there's something that I can give you then please…"

"Idiot," Kyoko whispered as she looked at him. "I love you, Kuon," she told him and he looked down nervously.

"I love you too," he nodded before letting shaky fingers run through her hair. "I must look like crap," he finally said with a weak chuckle and Kyoko shook her head.

"Of course not, you look like my loving and adorable husband," she tried to smile before seeing the tears in his eyes. He had always been good at not showing emotions too freely. His acting training had helped him to do that and then being away from home at sixteen must have led to him denying his emotions. Sometimes he would lock himself under too many layers and when he did that, it was hard to find him.

"Did they…are you hurt?" Kuon asked as more fear came to his eyes. "You'd tell…"

"Not physically, no" Kyoko shook her head as she saw how worried Kuon had been for her. "Mentally exhausted me and I think I'll have some psychological scarring but I'll live. Physically, I'm alright," she said as he nodded and tried to look her from head to toe again. "Are you -?"

"Do you mean that you need to see someone about that?" Kuon asked as he looked at her concerned as if he could _see_ the psychological harm that had come to her. She looked at him and reached up to touch his cheek.

"Sweetheart," she said gently, "Look at me, _are_ you okay?" she repeated and he nodded. "Can you give me a verbal response?" she asked and Kuon nodded nervously.

"I'm okay, it doesn't matter though. It just matters if -" he started coughing and looked down feeling a pain in his gut. He knew he should have tried harder to convince her. Kyoko looked him over nervously and then reached for his hand.

"Okay, if you sit down, I'll believe that you're doing okay," she said though the fear in her eyes wasn't leaving. The last time she had seen Kuon was when he had been having the chemotherapy treatment. It seemed that he was still going through with that and then the original plan was for him to have surgery when the cancerous cell was destroyed enough for the surgery to be at its most effective. He reluctantly nodded and went to sit on the sofa.

Kyoko sat down beside him and saw him staring into space. She didn't know what was going on in his head, but if these were troubling thoughts then she was most likely the cause of them.

"I knew that you leaving didn't have anything to do with me but if I had tried to stop them and tried to save you then -"

"Then they would have still taken me and you would have been hurt or worse," Kyoko said as she studied his face and saw the exhaustion and guilt that were on the outside. "Kuon, this worked out in the best way possible. I'm home now, right?" she asked as she saw him nod. "Please don't continue to beat yourself up over this. I'm okay."

"I am really sorry," he apologized again and Kyoko looked at him and sighed. She sat beside him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Can we just move past this?" she asked him. "Let's try our best to move on and put this in the past? Now, can I know where _my husband_ wants me to sleep?" she asked and Kuon looked at her and stood up, taking her hand in his. She'd have to talk to him about this withdrawal of himself, but first she wanted him to be comfortable in them both being within the same house.

Kyoko followed him and went into the main bedroom. She grinned at how it looked similar to the bedroom that she and Kuon had had before but there was a nicer vanity, two bookcases, a sofa and an attached bathroom. She smiled as she saw the walk-in closet as well. "So, I can assume from this," she gestured to the vanity, "Is that you always expected me to come back."

"Well, if you didn't I was going to find you," he told her and she smiled as she looked at the boxes below it. She picked them up before opening them and gasped. All of her precious makeup had been stored so lovingly and considerately. She wouldn't have even done such a good job of storing them herself. "Kuon?" she smiled.

"You were so excited when you were acting that screen test with your makeup. I've known you for a long time," he said as he sat at the edge of the large bed. "I wasn't going to let your precious items get spoiled," he said as Kyoko came over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you," she repeated, she gestured to an open cupboard door next to his side of the bed, "Is that an attached room?" she asked as Kuon quickly got up to stand in front of the open door. He reached out and pulled it closed. "Are you hiding something back there?" she asked and Kuon looked down.

"It's not important. It wouldn't be interesting to you if you knew," he said nervously as Kyoko looked at him.

She knew enough to know that Kuon wasn't hiding another woman in there (at least she really didn't think it was possible) but she didn't know what was so private that he couldn't tell her about it. Was it porn or some kind of toy in the porn genre? "Kuon, whatever you've needed to do …" she said.

Oh god. Did he have a whole cupboard of body pillows that looked like scantily clad anime girls. Had he been a secret aficionado for schoolgirls and schoolgirl culture. She paused and her eyes widened as she saw him rolling around in a pile of those pillows without her knowing about it.

Kuon sighed as he saw her face and realized that she was most likely imagining something much worse than what it actually was. He turned around with a sigh, "Just…one moment," he told her before opening the door and Kyoko blinked at what was inside.

Hospital equipment?

He had been afraid to show her hospital equipment? She looked at him confused. Was he showing her this because he had stolen it from the hospital? No, she had seen these pieces before when he had been having his treatment. She looked at where there was an IV without the drip as well as a machine that helped him breathe. "Kuon?" she asked as she saw him look a little embarrassed about that. She didn't know why. She had known he had been sick for a while now.

"My sweet Corn," she said as she looked at him, "What is this?"

"Sometimes I don't feel well enough or strong enough to do the inpatient care so I talked to my physician and sometimes I stay home. I have a nurse who comes around and she gives me the medicine before hooking me up for the day. She stays a few hours to make sure that I'm doing alright and when she's confident in my health, she'll leave," Kuon attempted to explain as if it was something that Kyoko shouldn't know.

The young woman turned to her husband and still looked a little confused but the confusion was over _why_ he was hiding this from her. "So, you are still suffering from the cancer?" she asked and he nodded, "but your hair is growing back so that's a good sign."

"I think I only have a month left," he told her as Kyoko smiled, "Then I have to have the surgery and then I'll start on the recovery period." Kyoko grinned excitedly and she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. She kissed his forehead and then pulled back so she could look into his emerald eyes. Did Kuon really think she cared that he had a weakness? She didn't care as much about the medical equipment as she did about her husband.

"I'm so proud of you, Kuon" she smiled to him. "You've been working so hard for us and you've been so strong for Aurora and…thank you," she said as tears started to collect in her eyes. "Thank you for not giving up on us." She wrapped her arms around him again. "I'm so happy that you're my husband," she said as he looked at her. "Happy Birthday," she attempted again.

"Thank you, princess," he told her lovingly.

"I don't have a gift that I can give to you so it's just like the first time I knew it was your birthday, but tell me if there is anything that you want and I'll get you it. Anything." She reached out and let her fingers brush over his head before leaning forwards to kiss him. She pulled back with tears in her eyes. She had missed kissing him so much. She had missed him so much more than she had thought she would miss any guy after Shotaro was done with her.

"You've already given me everything," he told her despite them both knowing there was a lot of psychological pain that they had _both_ had to endure. "There is no greater gift that I could be given than having you home with us," he told her.

"There is no place that I would rather be than in your arms. I know that there isn't an address there," she said as he pulled her to him again, "but there is nowhere else that I can call my home."

 **Chapter Thirty Two**

 **AN2:** Thank you to everyone who reads and supports this fic, it means a lot to me. Special shoutout to reviewers of Chapter Thirty One: **Ashenvale, brennakai, Erza, PaulaGaTo, and Tabbykatroses**


	34. Chapter 33 - Darumaya

**AN:** I really hope you enjoy this chapter 😊

 **Chapter Thirty Three - Darumaya**

Kyoko looked anxious at Kuon as they arrived at Darumaya. It had been so long since she had seen these people who had taken her in and given her love. She really hoped that she wouldn't disappoint them. She looked back at Kuon who was holding Aurora in his arms and smiled. "Is it okay that we're here?" she asked him as he just gave a simple nod. Kyoko turned to face him, "If you're uncomfortable with it, we can leave."

"No. I'm happy," he said as Kyoko sighed.

"You _really_ don't look happy, Kuon." She looked up at him and placed a hand on his cheek. "Sweetheart, if at any point you want to leave, tell me. We don't have to be here but I'm glad that we are. I'm excited to see them again," she said and Kuon gave another stiff nod causing Kyoko to exhale weakly.

She opened the door to the restaurant and held it open for her husband.

"Welcome i-Kyoko!" Okami-san smiled as she walked over to the woman. She placed a hand on her cheek and smiled before wrapping her in a hug. She pulled back and placed her hands on Kyoko's shoulders, studying her in the same way a mother might study her daughter. "I'm so glad to see you again."

Kyoko bowed, "I'm glad to be back," she said as she looked up at Taisho who also seemed happy to see her again. "This is Aurora," she gestured to the baby as Okami-san's smile grew and she reached out to the small baby.

"May I hold her?" she asked and Kuon nodded.

"Be careful of her head," he said in a soft voice. Okami-san looked at him before nodding. She was too polite to say it but that man did not look well. She remembered the last time that the couple had visited and Kyoko had told them about how she was pregnant. Kuon seemed a lot different to her than the last time. Okami-san sat down at a table whilst cradling the infant.

"It's so good to meet you, Aurora," she said as Kyoko grinned. All the diners' eyes were on the famous celebrity couple and Kyoko grabbed hold of Kuon's hand feeling his distance from the world. "You'll sit down and eat right?" she asked and Kuon nodded whilst Kyoko's smile grew as well.

"I can't wait" she laughed. "That's okay, isn't it?" she asked her husband who only nodded silently. Okami-san looked at him curiously but then looked at the baby. The last time she had seen Kuon he had been absolutely charming and nothing less could be expected from the former Ren Tsuruga. She knew that although he seemed to be carrying around a weight on his shoulders, Kuon was a sweet man who worked hard to provide for Kyoko. This man here looked so different, then again, cancer changed people more than you thought.

"Alright, I'll give you the house special," she smiled to Kyoko and then turned to Kuon, "I'll make sure that my husband only gives you half the amount," she told him and Kuon nodded again.

"Thank you. I appreciate that," he said weakly and Okami-san frowned at the way he said that. Something was definitely wrong with him and she really hoped that the couple wasn't experiencing problems in their relationship.

Kyoko reached out for Kuon's hand as Aurora was passed back to him and he sat down. Kyoko stood up to get a high chair so that Kuon would be able to eat with his arms free. "Hi, my little princess," Kyoko smiled at her daughter. "Let's put you here, okay?" she said to her and kissed her forehead. "Okay," she sat down and reached out for Kuon's hand. When he gave it to her, she ran her thumb over the back of it. She didn't know if he was okay, but he was doing this for her. That only showed how much he loved her.

…

…

"It's good that Kyoko is back, isn't it?" Okami-san smiled to Taisho as she stood next to him. "I'm really glad to see them again and their daughter is precious," she said as Taisho gestured to Kuon. Okami-san looked at her husband, she knew that he was surveying the family and she had to admit that something was strange with them. "He's had cancer for a while now," she whispered. "That takes a lot out of a person."

Taisho hummed and shrugged his shoulders, "His energy is weaker than cancer," he told his wife as she playfully batted his shoulder.

"Come now, neither one of us has had cancer so we don't know if that's true. Make sure not to serve him too much because of it though. He's obviously come here for Kyoko's sake. He knows that you don't particularly like him," Okami-san smiled. "I think he's good for her."

"He's fake," Taisho grunted and Okami-san smiled again.

"Just because he gave you a fake smile a few times because he was attempting to be polite. The second time he came, he ate the fish properly after asking for a retrial," she tried to remind him. "Besides, didn't you enjoy Kuu Hizuri's movies when you were younger," she tried to remind him as Taisho nodded.

"That man eats properly," he said as Okami-san frowned.

"Well, his way of eating each course was in proper form, but I don't think that anyone who eats that much can be said to eat properly. We did make a lot of money when he came in," she thought aloud and Taisho nodded. "Kyoko did warn us about that as well."

Okami-san laughed softly before seeing Kyoko approaching them. She turned with a smile as Kyoko bowed to her husband.

"Taisho-san, it's great to see you again," she smiled before Taisho gestured to Kuon. "How have you been?"

"Your husband," he said as Kyoko paused, "Something happened?"

"Yes, but it'd take a lot of explaining for me to do it and I'm not sure if I should. He's going in for surgery in a short time because the cancer has nearly gone into remission," she said with a smile before she looked over to Kuon who was taking care of Aurora. "He's always doing his best. I couldn't ask for anything more from him."

"He's quiet," Taisho commented as Okami looked at him.

"Dear, if you're complaining about that," she said lightly, "You're acting like a hypocrite," she said and Taisho smiled very slightly. "Maybe he wants to impress you so he's acting like you do?"

Kyoko laughed, "That's not it, but you are right. It's one of the things that makes Taisho who he is," she smiled at him and Taisho-san nodded.

"Here," he said as he handed her a starter of sashimi, there was one plate for them to share and Kyoko smiled appreciatively. She came back to Kuon and placed it in the middle, kissing his cheek.

"They said to share, so you take what you'd like to eat and I'll eat the rest," she said to him. "I think they are preparing an udon dish but they won't give you too much." Kyoko saw Kuon nod again and held his hand, "If it's too much, we can leave, maybe we can take the leftovers home?"

"No, we'll stay," Kuon nodded and Kyoko looked at him. She had to admit that the way that Kuon was now was a lot like Taisho. She smiled at him.

"Thanks for taking me here, Kuon" she told him happily. "It means a lot to them that they get to meet Aurora."

Kuon nodded, "It means a lot to them that they get to see you."

…..

…..

As Kuon sat in Lory's office the following morning, the president stared at the young man with his jaw dropped. He kept looking him up and down and trying to think of what could have prompted this change in him. Lory had heard about Kyoko's mother and the separation between the two of them, but he had also had Kyoko inform him of her return.

He hadn't been expecting this though.

"Kuon, are you sure that you're feeling alright?" Lory asked. A large part of him wanted to reach out and feel how hot Kuon's temperature was and if he was hallucinating. This wasn't something that he had expected from this boy at all and he had known him since childhood.

"Yes," the blond nodded again. "I'd like to withdraw."

Lory sat completely stunned. He sighed and got out a piece of paper, "Well, there are some rules for quitting the agency and there's a fine in place as…" he said and Kuon nodded.

"I'll pay," he said and Lory handed him a business card.

"I need you to go to this woman, Kuon" he said as Kuon studied the card for a psychiatrist. "It's just formal regulations for the most part. Since the legal side of quitting the agency takes some time, I like to make sure that those who want to leave aren't being forced or coerced and I also want to make sure they aren't on any drugs or -"

"You know me," Kuon said as he looked forwards. "Trust is sometimes -"

"Yes, I know you. I know you wouldn't give up without a fight. I know that you love acting. I also know that if your parents or Kyoko had heard anything about this, they wouldn't have let you come in here alone and I would have known about it beforehand. I just need to make sure that you're alright," Lory attempted to smile though he was shocked beyond reason that Kuon would suddenly just tell him that he was quitting acting.

"Does it matter?" Kuon asked and Lory sighed as he saw how much the man had broken from what had happened with his wife. Yes, Kuon seeing a psychiatrist was definitely for the best at this point. "I just don't want to do it."

"Then what _do_ you want to do?" Lory asked and saw the man stare in front of him in the same way that he did when he was a teenager. "Kuon, just give it some thought and talk it over with Kyoko at least. You usually have a lot more charm in you, more charisma."

"What's the point?" Kuon sighed heavily. "I don't know what the point is."

"So," Lory said as he tapped his chin, "You just went through a near year of chemotherapy for nothing. What is your endpoint here, Kuon? If you're looking to do something outside of acting for a while, there are some desk jobs here and I've always asked you if you'd be interested in private coaching or training classes."

"Would Kyoko have to know?" Kuon asked as Lory felt the air kicked out of him again. He knew that they were probably having problems that they were facing together as a couple, but he didn't know that there was any problems inside this marriage. He hoped that he could help the two of them fix those problems before anything too drastic happened.

Kuon nodded, "I'll think about it." He looked down before sighing and closing his eyes, "I will call this person," he said as he held up the card, "maybe seeing a psychiatrist will be for the best. I just don't want Kyoko to know that I'm sick."

Lory nodded, he didn't want to admit that Kyoko knew Kuon far too well for him to hide things from her. Lory only imagined that the young woman was worried about her husband as well despite all the pain that she was carrying herself.

 **End Chapter Thirty Three**

 **AN2:** Thank you to everyone who supports this fic. Special shoutout to the reviewers of Chapter 32: **Ashenvale, Crazy4Animation, Erza, Guest (2), PaulaGaTo**


	35. Chapter 34 - Inside that head

**AN1:** I hope you enjoy this, it's more of a sitting-talking chapter than anything of progress

 **Chapter Thirty Four – Inside that Head**

Kyoko closed her eyes as she sat at the edge of the bed. She was trying her hardest not to break down into loud sobs but it was Aurora who was keeping her quiet and the fear of waking her. Kyoko still had to learn how to be a good mother and she had depended on Kuon to show her a lot of things. She was always depending on Kuon and maybe all of that depending on him wasn't for the best as she had hoped.

Kyoko took a deep breath in as she clutched to the phone and then let it out, "He really said that?" she had to ask for clarification. "President, he really said that he doesn't want to act anymore?" Kyoko glanced at the closet in the bedroom that had all of the medical supplies. She remembered the amount of hesitation that Kuon had had about showing her what was inside.

Taking a deep breath in, Kyoko listened to the words on the other end of the line.

"I've known Kuon for a long time. The first time I met him was when he was a couple of months old," Lory said as he ran his fingers through his hair. This was causing him to have a headache, he was always looking out for that boy but he didn't know how he could get through to him _this_ time. "He's always shown that he wants to act and it's more than that his father did it. Kyoko, that husband of yours. He might act like he's a very extroverted guy who feels comfortable and charismatic surrounded by doz -"

"Sorry, president," Kyoko interrupted him. "Ren Tsuruga is the charismatic charming guy who loves to be around people and is always willing to do his best. Kuon Hizuri is someone who wants very much to help others but doubts in his own abilities and sometimes closes himself off from other people to the point where he can't be reached." Kyoko reached out so she could hold onto the duvet of the bed in her fist, "This time I'm not sure if I'm able to reach him."

"Kyoko…" Lory said slowly, "Did you want to talk about your experience?" he asked.

Kyoko's body stiffened and she looked down. She didn't blame her mother for what had happened, there were far too many people who had done worse and she definitely didn't want for the president to be the first person who was told. The first person that she would always want to tell the important things to was Kuon, it would always be Kuon. Kuon wasn't able to be reached though.

"I'm doing okay, it wasn't as bad as you might think," she said as she nervously thought about how she wanted to get Kuon a present but there were only a few days before Valentine's Day. She had really screwed things up with him. "I don't want to talk about it if that's okay?" she asked before looking down and feeling her breath catch in her throat. "When he talked to you though about giving up as an actor, how serious was he?"

"He seemed pretty set on the idea," Lory sighed. "Listen, I don't know why he wants to punish himself but then I've always had such a hard time figuring out his motives so I need you to do that for us. I think we both want to see him continue his dream of acting, right, Kyoko?"

Kyoko nodded, "Of course," she said without hesitation. "Kuon deserves to be doing something that he loves. I want him to be happy, that's all that I really want for him…and for the surgery to go well so that the cancer is out of his body."

Kyoko paused as she heard the sound of Kuon's car pull in, "President, I have to go," she said quickly. "Please don't tell Kuon that I know, I don't want to invade his privacy any further."

Once the president had agreed not to say anything to Kuon, Kyoko got off the phone and went to the front door to unlock it. She opened it and paused as she saw Kuon standing there almost as if he was a ghost. "Hi, welcome home," she said as he smiled to her and she could see the pain in his eyes. This sadness inside of him was getting worse and she could feel it getting stronger.

"How was your day, princess?" Kuon said as he kissed the top of her head before putting his shoes on the rack and coming inside.

"It was good, it's nice to be here with Aurora. How was your day?" she asked before watching as Kuon ignored her.

"Have you been doing anything fun?" he asked and Kyoko looked at him. She could imagine him standing opposite the president and telling him that he was giving up on acting. It was as if he was giving up on life. She looked down with a deep breath in.

"Your chemo appointment is the day after tomorrow, correct?" she asked him and Kuon looked at her and shook his head. Kyoko pulled out her phone where she had put an alert for each of his treatment days. Had she put down the wrong date? Maybe she wasn't reading properly. "I thought that -"

"I cancelled it," Kuon explained and Kyoko's eyes widened.

She immediately grabbed Kuon's upper arms and steered him towards the table in the dining room. Putting pressure on his body, she forced him down onto one of the chairs and took a step back. She felt her body shaking as she stood opposite him and tried her best to keep from showing her own painful emotions. "Kuon, talk to me. What is going on with you?"

"Nothing," he lied unable to keep eye contact, "I'm fine."

Kyoko shook her head. She was an outstanding actress but when it came to the safety and wellbeing of the man she loves, she didn't want to take a chance and pretend that everything was alright. She wanted to make him see how scared she was for him. She couldn't just pretend that nothing was wrong.

"Kuon Hizuri, look at me," she said with tears threatening to slip unchecked down her cheeks. "You are the most important part of my life and I know how to read you. Kuon, you're _not_ doing okay and I'm worried about you. It's not okay to cancel your appointments especially when you…" she shook her head. "Kuon, why did you do all the therapy in the first place just to give up now?"

"I wanted to be strong for you and Aurora. You mean more to me than anything," Kuon told her and Kyoko felt a pain soar through her but she tried to keep her mind strong.

"Then stay with us," Kyoko told him. "Kuon, please. I know that there's something you don't feel able to tell me," Kyoko pulled out a chair so she could face him and see how broken he was in his eyes. "Honey, I'm here. I love you unconditionally. Whatever you need to tell me, I'll listen." Kyoko reached out and draped her arms over his shoulders.

"I let you down," he repeated and Kyoko shook her head. "Of course I couldn't have helped you, I wasn't able to keep you safe. I'm so stupid," he whispered and Kyoko's eyes widened. "I thought that you didn't want to come back. I thought that you didn't want to be with me. I thought that you were happy to be away from me."

"Kuon," Kyoko whispered, "No. I was never happy. I would never be happy if you weren't here," she told him before looking down. "It killed me to leave you, I wish I could have at least told you and kept in contact. I am so sorry," she whispered, "but please know that I don't blame you for this. You would have been there by my side but they…" she closed her eyes. "I was scared that they'd hurt you, that they'd tamper with the bags that had the drugs in them. I get scared thinking that I might never see you again."

"Kyoko, you deserve a lot better than me," he told her as Kyoko shook her head and placed her hand on his cheek.

"You are the best thing to ever happen to me. You and Aurora are the only people I need in my life. Kuon, you are what makes me happy and I never stopped wishing that you were okay and that you were alive," she said as she looked at him. "My sweet Corn, you need to go to the hospital for us. I can't lose you. I don't know what I'd do with myself if I did."

"So you won't leave? I won't make you leave?" he asked and Kyoko picked up his hand where his wedding ring was.

"Do you see this?" she pointed as she raised her own hand with the ring that he had bought for her. "That means that I'm here. That means that I'm going to keep coming back. Did you think that I treat love frivolously, if I did I don't think I would have been able to graduate the Love Me section."

"Kyoko," Kuon whispered before looking up. "I'm sorry, I need to…" he said as he tried to get up but Kyoko grabbed his hand with both of hers and brought it up to her lips.

"What, honey?" she asked with a weak smile, "Kuon, what is it? What do you need?" she asked with actual fear in her eyes. She was scared that he'd leave the house and she wouldn't see him again. She was scared of his behavior and she was scared that she wouldn't be able to break him out of this depression that was wrapping around him and suffocating him.

Kyoko felt her breath catch in her chest as she found Kuon to break down, his whole body shaking. Immediately, she wrapped her arms around him. "Sssh," she said. This was so strange. It would have been so much stranger had this happened before they started dating. "Honey, my sweet Corn, I love you. It's okay to be weak. It's okay to want to cry, I don't judge you. Please just let me in, let me help you."

"You're thinking it would be strange if you had seen me do this as Ren Tsuruga," Kuon said weakly and Kyoko kissed him. She slowly moved so she was sitting in his lap and pressing soft kisses to his neck.

"I love you. You've just had to deal with cancer on your own. It's okay to be weak, you've been so so strong for everybody," Kyoko grinned as he started to laugh. Maybe she was getting through to him. "How about we go to Guam or something?" she asked, "Take a break. We could even go to Hawaii."

"You think you'd like Hawaii?" Kuon chuckled although Kyoko could see that he really wasn't doing okay.

"Yes, there are lots of fun things that I've never tried in Hawaii. It would be fun to go together," she smiled as Kuon nodded.

"I can stop acting so out of character then," Kuon said as Kyoko grinned at him.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to give you an NG. I'm not as harsh as those critics who go onto popular stories just to make comments about how characters seem to be out of character and a person should put that in their story summary," she laughed.

"The person who suggests that sounds like a real jerk," Kuon laughed.

"Aren't they though," Kyoko smiled. She felt as if she was finally breaking ground when it came to helping the man she loves heal.

 **End Chapter Thirty Four**

 **AN2:** Thank you to everyone who reads and supports this chapter. Special shout out to the Chapter Thirty Three reviewers: **brennakai, Crazy4Animation, and paulagato**


	36. Chapter 35 - Flatline

**AN1:** Thank you everyone for choosing to read this story. I know I haven't updated in a little bit but I've been trying to work on a schedule so I update my fics at least once a week. Today is my birthday and it's been so much fun writing again 😊 I really hope you enjoy it.

 **Chapter Thirty Five - Flatline**

"We need emergency care for the patient now!"

This wasn't supposed to be happening. This was supposed to be a normal round of therapy. This wasn't supposed to sound like the machines were going haywire on her or that her husband had entered a seizure. This wasn't supposed to be the heart monitor scaring her or doctors trying to sedate the man.

Kyoko wrapped her arms around herself as she stared helplessly at her husband in the bed.

Tears were in her eyes as she feared for the worst. She didn't want to see him this way. She didn't want to think that he wasn't strong enough to protect himself. If only she hadn't gone with her mother and lost all that time away from him. Her eyes widened. Had they done this to him?

She looked around nervously as the doctors tried to keep her away from Kuon so they could treat him.

It was at this point that she felt everything going black around her and she heard the worried words of a doctor who was standing beside Kuon.

"Someone's tampered with the medicine" she said and Kyoko's eyes quickly went to her. She knew that the gang that her family member was associated with had threatened something like this before but she had gone with them. She had done everything that they had asked of her. They wouldn't have gone through with it anyway, right?

As Kyoko's brain tried to scramble and form an explanation, she saw Kuon's body go completely limp and there was a loud flatlining buzz on the heart monitor. Kyoko wrapped her arms around herself and took a step backwards as if she was plummeting off of a large cliff. Her eyes were filled with tears and she kept shaking her head as if trying to wake herself from this nightmare.

"Kuon…" she whispered as she felt her heart sink in her chest. "KUON!" she yelled. She just wanted the noise to stop and Kuon to sit up and tell her that he was okay and that he was going to get better. She wanted to close her eyes and find that she was at home the previous day holding Aurora whilst Kuon ironed the laundry. She wanted to remember her husband's smiling face and how he could always captivate her with his emerald eyes which sometimes were a burnt sienna in the right light.

All she could hear was the flatline and the doctor's voice announcing time of death.

No.

Her body felt so cold and empty, she tried to grip onto something but there was nothing there. She could hear a beeping sound, the sound of some electronic item and she just wanted to run. She wanted to avoid all of this! She was falling! She was falling down so fast and

…..

Kyoko's eyes opened and she found herself trembling in her bed. She blinked hard and nervously reached out, grabbing onto Kuon's arm as he lay beside her. Once she could see him there, her heart seemed to rest and she wiped the tears away from her eyes. So, it was just a nightmare.

Kuon looked at her and Kyoko paused as she saw that he was wearing an oxygen mask over his face. Was this one of his machines? He reached to take it off as he saw that Kyoko was still trembling, her body with sweat coating it.

"Hey," he said as he fumbled with the mask but eventually took it off. He coughed harshly, his chest hurting. "Is something wrong?" he asked as he attempted to sit up, coughing again. He placed a hand around his chest. His eyes stung as Kyoko turned the light on.

"Kuon," Kyoko said as she rushed to him and put the mask back on. She systematically put her hands on each part of his body from the top of his head to his feet as she tried to make sure that he was still there beside her. She panted again and tried her hardest to hold back the tears. "You're here. You're here, thank god," she whispered as she tried to hold back her pain.

"Did you think –" Kuon coughed harshly as he moved the mask from his face again, "that I wouldn't be."

Kyoko immediately put the mask back onto his face, "Don't take that off again, please? If it's helping you then I want you to continue to wear it." Kyoko looked down and tried to brush the tears away from her face. She didn't want to ever bring up that dream or how her worst nightmare was losing him. "I'm sorry that I woke you," she apologized before giving him a stern look that told him not to remove the mask.

Kuon sighed and reached out to lightly touch her shoulder in hopes of comforting her.

Kyoko looked down as she tried to control her breaths to calm herself down. However, as she looked up at him, she started to think about _why_ he was wearing the breathing device. She looked at him, he was paler than usual. Even for being sick, he usually had a bit more color to his body. She felt his hands, he was cold to her touch. She reached up and touched his forehead where he was running a high fever. This didn't look good.

"Kuon, I think we should go to the hospital," she said with her eyes wide. What if this was part of him getting worse and what if it did lead to her dream? She wouldn't be able to take it if he wasn't there. She needed him. He was her rock, her safe place, her home. She couldn't bear even the idea of losing him.

Kuon looked around before grabbing a notebook and a pen and wrote on it: _I don't think it's urgent. I just have a cold._

Kyoko read it over three times before looking up at her husband and shaking her head, "Are you sure that you're alright? Even if you do have a cold and that's all it is, wouldn't it be better to have it checked?"

She saw Kuon tilt his head to the side before writing again: _It's a cold. If it gets worse, we can go to the hospital, okay?_

Kyoko blinked at the paper and saw Kuon give her a thumbs up. Sometimes he was so foolish _especially_ when it came to himself. On one hand, the note was comforting because it showed that Kuon was going back to normal, he was getting back to the humorous, witty, charismatic guy that she knew. However, if she only had more guarantee that he was really okay then she would feel better. It was as if he didn't take his own health that seriously sometimes.

"Okay, but you don't get to decide how much worse it gets. If I feel that you need to go and see a doctor then I am taking you there even if I have to tie you down and take you there with help," she said and Kuon nodded. Kyoko sighed before turning off the light and slipping down in the bed as Kuon did the same. Kyoko wrapped her arms around her husband. "I love you," she told him as he nodded and she pushed her face into his chest.

…

…

Kyoko watched her husband as they sat in the doctor's office. She knew that he didn't want to be here, but his condition _had_ gotten worse and she was worried. That was still part of her duties as a wife, wasn't it? To take care of her husband and keep him safe and well. That didn't just disappear because she had left him on his own.

"Kuon, are you seriously sulking about being here?" Kyoko asked him concerned. She looked down. Maybe she shouldn't have force him here, maybe she should have listened to him that it was just a cold. Taking him here and learning that she overreacted was as bad as someone just telling her in a straightforward manner that she couldn't trust her husband's own judgement.

Kuon sighed, "I'm fine," he said as he felt his chest hurt but he didn't want to tell her about it. Kyoko had been through enough and he didn't want to make her feel as if she had done anything wrong. "The doctor will come in and say that –" Kuon said before being cut off by the doctor entering the room.

"Mr. Hizuri," the doctor said as he turned to Kuon, "I have some rather unpleasant news for you," he said before looking quickly at Kyoko. "Do I have your permission to say this in front of Ms. Hizuri."

"Mrs," Kyoko corrected him as she reached across for Kuon's hand.

"Of course," Kuon replied not wanting to admit to the anxiety he felt with what the doctor was saying. "I don't want to keep secrets from my wife anymore."

"Alright then," the doctor nodded. "The cancer has spread and it's returning to your stomach as well. I do apologize about my earlier assessment, I thought that the cancer was moving out of your body but rather it was moving into other territories."

Kuon's eyes widened and the horrified expression on his face couldn't be matched by anything that he had ever given any director. He looked at Kyoko who had the same terrified look. "I…where?" he asked awkwardly and the doctor sighed.

"It's inconclusive right now as to where it's moved, but generally it's to the organs around it," the doctor said. "We need to do a full body check up to be positive, but we're thinking the biggest area is your left lung."

Kyoko looked down. Weren't Americans always dying of lung cancer? Okay, maybe that was her being discriminatory and she definitely didn't want to use Kuon's nationality against him. Still, lung cancer scared her. She closed her eyes and remembered how some people had to have machines put in their throat that made them sound like robots. Nobody wanted to watch an actor who sounded like that.

Kyoko shook her head and looked at the doctor intensely, "Check it again. I doubt that my husband has anything wrong with his lungs. I'm sure you just read the test wrong," she told him and the doctor was about to argue but nobody could argue with Kyoko in the state that she was currently in.

"Yes, there could have been an error," the doctor said nervously as he eyed Kyoko and stood up.

Kyoko held to Kuon's hand. She felt lost and afraid and she didn't believe in miracles in the way she once used to, but she didn't want to lose him. She didn't want to see him get sicker. She didn't want there to be any problems between the two of them. She just wanted to pretend that they were both happy and healthy and okay and that they would live a beautifully long and romantic life together.

"It's okay," she tried to tell Kuon who was looking in front of him as if there was some deformed creature on the floor crying for help.

"How?" he asked her in a sad voice, "How could this have happened?"

Kyoko sighed again before reaching out to touch him, "Kuon, do you want me to tell you about the Yakuza?" she offered. She knew he was interested in what had happened to her and she needed a way of distracting him from his own illness. She took a deep breath in, closed her eyes, and opened her mouth.

She began her story.

 **End of Chapter Thirty Five**

 **Thank you for Reading**

 **AN2:** Special shoutout to the reviewers of Chapter Thirty Four: Erza, Guest, paulagato. Thank you sooo much.


	37. Chapter 36 - Disappointment

**AN:** Thank you so much for reading. Hope I don't hurt your heart in this chapter. Enjoy!

 **Chapter Thirty Six - Disappointment**

Kyoko took a seat at the side of the bed so that she could still be there for Kuon. She was done with the secrets and the wall between them. She didn't want to admit that the reason she wanted to tell him what had happened to her was because she didn't want him to hide what was happening to him. She didn't want for him to feel empty and alone and try to deal with this illness and this disappointment alone.

"I've told you about my biological father, correct?" she asked him as Kuon nodded, "the story that my mother told me?"

Kuon nodded but he didn't feel able to connect with her at this point. "About the case files?" he asked her and Kyoko nodded. "About how you never knew who he really was?" Kyoko nodded again. "Yes, you've told me about them. Look, Kyoko…" he attempted but the girl continued anyway.

"So, nobody knew who he was and we all felt that he was just giving the secret files to the other side as a mole. The name didn't exist. His job didn't exist. My mother thought that once he had taken what he wanted from her and had left her with an unwanted child that his job was done and he was out of her life forever." Kyoko said as Kuon looked down with heavy sighs.

"Yes, I remember you telling me all of this," he said to her.

"Well, I met him, for a brief moment but I met him and the times had really changed him and made him cold to the world, at least when he was with my mother he seemed warm and comforting, she says that he gave her a chance to stop her. Somehow, my father wasn't giving anyone the same chance and it was because of him that they found out that there was a child." Kyoko sat with her hands in her lap as she looked forwards, she didn't know how much of this she could tell Kuon without him asking her questions. She was glad that he wasn't speaking to her at this point.

"So, when they had known that my mother, who had connections with one of the gang members, a family member that I didn't know about, had this daughter they wanted to get me into this society to be a mole and a fake for them," Kyoko said. "They asked me to do a few jo-"

"Stop," Kuon said as he looked at her and Kyoko paused with her mouth hanging open. She turned to her husband and saw the pain that was on his face. "Whatever happened there, my mind can't focus right now. It's alright that you want to tell me, but I can't focus on this. I'm sorry," he apologized quickly.

Kyoko turned to him and Kuon had his eyes cast down and his fist tightening on the sheet.

"Kuon?" she asked nervously as she looked at him, trying to take it all in. He didn't look right. It wasn't that he was sick, she could understand him feeling ill or nauseous but this seemed like an empty shell that she was speaking to. He was most likely right. This was most likely the wrong situation to tell him her story. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. Sweetheart," she said as she reached out to him and put her hand on his cheek lovingly, "Are you okay?"

He didn't react to her touch almost as if she wasn't there.

"Kuon?" she asked as for once she failed to see Ren Tsuruga sitting there. This wasn't right, she couldn't tell him this. "Kuon, whatever it is, we'll get through it together."

"I'm sorry," Kuon said as he slipped his wedding ring off of his finger and handed it to her, "No we won't."

Kyoko paused nervously, her heart beating so fast it felt as if her chest was going to explode. She looked at the ring he gave her and tears filled her eyes. He didn't want her anymore? "Kuon," she said painfully as she knelt in front of him, straddling him. "Kuon," she said as she looked at him and felt that he was broken without repair. "My sweet Corn," she said as she tried to turn his face to look at her. She felt as if she was crawling into a deep dark hole. She couldn't breathe but she had to try to get through to him.

"I love you," she said trying to hold back the tears. "I love you no matter what. There's nobody in this universe that I love as much as I love you. I don't want to let you go so I'm going to hold onto this for you," she said as she held up the ring. "I'm not going to force you to wear it, but I'll hold onto it for you so that when you want it back, I'll happily put it onto your finger again."

Kuon looked at her but it was as if he was looking through her.

"You should be with someone else," he told her and Kyoko felt as if he was repeatedly stabbing her through the heart.

"I c-can't," she shook her head and placed both hands on the bed. "I'm sorry but I can't. I love you, Kuon. I don't want anyone apart from you. Please don't do this?" she tried to beg of him. "I understand the pain you must be feeling, but please don't -"

"Are you confident in your skills taking care of Aurora?" he asked her seriously and Kyoko paused. Did that mean that he was planning on going off somewhere without the two of them? What was he doing? She was usually so sure of what was going through his head, she could read him better than any acting critic, but right now she _couldn't_ see him.

"Aurora needs her dad," Kyoko said as she looked at him nervously. She tried to kiss him but it felt hollow and empty. He was holding back on her. "She needs her daddy, Kuon," she tried to tell him but Kuon didn't respond. Kyoko didn't know where his mind was but drawing out Ren right now wasn't going to help anyone.

"Can you please leave?" Kuon said bluntly and Kyoko felt a strike to her stomach.

"Okay, but I'm going to tell the nurse to keep an eye on you," she said wanting what was best for him. "I love you, Kuon, but if you need some time to yourself then I'll give you that. Please know that when you come home though, I'll be waiting there to give you back your ring with my arms open wide and my mind open to listen to anything you want to say. I love you," she said and felt herself fall deeper into the abyss as he nodded silently.

Kyoko closed her eyes and tried to stop herself from sobbing in front of him as she walked out of the room.

…

…

Kyoko couldn't sleep that night. She couldn't sleep with that large empty space next to her where Kuon should be. She had tried to grab a large body pillow that she had used when pregnant with Aurora, but it didn't help. She couldn't feel his warmth and his breaths, she couldn't notice how his body inhaled and exhaled. It wasn't him.

So, she had spent the majority of the night tossing and turning and screaming out his name as if he would magically appear and save her from her pain.

Kyoko was woken up at three in the morning and at first she thought it was by Aurora. However, the baby monitor didn't have any sound coming through. After waking up a little more, Kyoko realized that the sound was the vibrations of her cellphone. She quickly picked it up before it stopped buzzing.

"Hello, you've reached Kyoko Hizuri," she said before feeling as if her world had been broken.

"Hizuri-san, I'm calling to inform you of your husband's suicide attempt. Is there a way for you to come down to the hospital?" Kyoko's eyes widened as she heard that and it was as if everything inside of her was rotting. She felt as if she was about to throw up. She shouldn't have left him. She should have tried every single method in her arsenal to try to get him to open up to her.

"Ye-Yes, I'll come as soon as possible," she nodded through tears, "H-How is he?"

"Currently he's in critical condition in the ER," the doctor said, "I can discuss the rest of the details with you in person."

Kyoko nodded, the tears threatening to overwhelm her. She felt as if she couldn't speak anymore and as if every word would turn to bile in her throat. She wanted to cry and to disappear and go back to the woods in Kyoto and tell Corn how important he was to her. She wanted to have her friend back. She wanted Ren Tsuruga to play around with her whilst also teaching her about acting. Was this what the apocalypse felt like because this was certainly as if her world was ending.

She got off the phone and went to Aurora's room trying to remember all the things that Kuon had with him when he took her out. Finally, she got to the baby and lifted her into her arms trying not to wake her. She wasn't sure of her abilities at being a mother, she hadn't had to take of Aurora by herself and that was why she needed her father. She needed to be with her daddy. Even if Kuon hated her and never wanted to see her again, Aurora needed him far more than she needed her.

She went to the car and placed Aurora in the car seat before sitting down in the driver's seat. She remembered all of the times when she had been in the passenger seat since Kuon tended to be the one who drove them. She remembered all of those conversations starting from when she hit her head trying to explain her reasons for acting to him.

He was always there to help her out. Even when they disliked each other, he had carried her when she had hurt her ankle, he had been there to make sure that the reporter didn't hurt her, he had told her Sho's commercial lines so that she would take care of her skin.

He was always such a thoughtful guy who always seemed so mature to her and she had fallen in love with him. Now it seemed like she wasn't giving him enough thought. Maybe it was better if she stayed away from him but she was selfish, she couldn't do that to him.

As they got to the hospital, Kyoko took Aurora out of the car and slung the baby bag over her shoulder. She just hoped that he was okay. He was smart, he would have picked something that would have worked. He knew about pain and suffering and he even knew about this, he knew how someone could kill themselves.

She just wanted to see him.

She _needed_ him to be okay. They were always stronger together when they worked as a team.

This couldn't be the end, right?

Right?

 **End of Chapter Thirty Six**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Special thank you cookies to the reviewers of Chapter Thirty-Five**

Brennakai, Crazy4Animation, Erza


	38. Chapter 37 - After Life

**AN:** There are a lot of new challenges introduced in this chapter. I hope you enjoy and that I don't scare you off. I've been pretty burned out recently in terms of school and work

 _He tried to jump off a building._

 _He sustained major injuries in his head and in his spine._

 _It's very likely that he won't be able to walk again_

 _He might have difficulty thinking. There's also a possibility that his personality will change._

 _We're hopeful that he'll regain consciousness._

 **Chapter Thirty-Seven– After Life**

Kyoko stared at the space in front of her. She was exhausted and she was scared that this would happen again. She was terrified of how her husband would be when he woke up and if he would try again. She was scared that he'd fall into a depression and be unable to fight. She was scared that Kuon didn't think that she was worth fighting for anymore.

There was still one person Kuon would fight for though. Aurora.

"I've decided to resign from acting. I know that there will be a fee to pay for the agency. I can cover it, but I think it's the right option for me," Kyoko told Lory as she sat on the sofa opposite him. She felt the bags under her eyes and finally felt the age settling in. She looked at the floor. "I've decided to pursue a different career. I apologize," she said as she leaned forwards into a seated bow.

"I assumed that would be the case, but I have to ask you to reconsider," Lory said as he watched her. Kyoko looked as if she was about to fall apart. "May I ask what you're thinking about?"

"I want to take some psychology classes as well as some health classes. Maybe I won't pursue medicine as a career but I know what is really important to me," she said as she attempted to wipe away some tears.

"Are you sure that you don't want to pursue acting?" Lory asked and Kyoko nodded. "Is there any part of the industry that you'd be interested in. You started in the talent department, would that be of interest?" he asked. He knew how alive Kyoko became when she acted. He knew how much she had allowed Sho Fuwa to steal her happiness. He didn't want her to give up on a field she loved being a part of because of Kuon. He didn't want to risk any resentment.

"Maybe," Kyoko said weakly, "You mean like a talk show host?" she asked before looking down. She nodded. "Possibly, but for right now I have to concentrate on being a wife and a mother….that is if I _still_ can be a proper wife."

"If you're giving up on acting because Kuon can't…" Lory trailed off and Kyoko shook her head.

"It's not because he can't. Maybe he'll be able to when he recovers or maybe the world will be less well off because the greatest actor was forced to retire from the industry, but I want to take care of him. I've been showing him such neglect lately," Kyoko brushed away a few tears from her eyes. "I don't want to blame him but unless I can be sure that he won't let depression win and unless I can support him in his fight, I don't want to act. I almost lost him," Kyoko tried to remind the president.

"Kuon wouldn't want you to give up on something you love," Lory attempted to argue and Kyoko looked up at him with a frown.

"I love _him_ ," she argued. She looked away and wrapped an arm around herself so that she didn't completely crumble. "I need to take some time away to think about everything. You know, I used to think that I didn't want to let any man stand in the way of my career and my future, but Kuon _is_ my future and I would rather support him in his dreams than live my own, at least for right now."

"Then…" Lory sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "I want you to come in every six months and tell me where you are in your decision. If you tell me that you want to act again then I'll make you an active part of the acting department. If you decide that you need more time, I'll give you more time."

Kyoko smiled and nodded, "Thank you," she told him. "Thank you for understanding."

She stood up and started heading to the door when she heard Lory call out for her.

"Kyoko, give Kuon my best wishes when you see him. Remind him that he can phone me if he ever needs to talk. If there is some mental damage in that head of his, please remind him that I care about him unconditionally. He's like a child to me," Lory told her as Kyoko bowed again and then rose her head with a smile.

"Of course," she said. "I'll keep you updated on his condition as well," she said before making her exit.

…

…..

As Kyoko entered the hospital she heard the words that she was desperately hoping to hear, "Your husband is awake."

She couldn't contain her excitement despite her knowing that there was a possibility that he was hurt worse than she had thought just looking at him. She didn't know whether he would be happy to see her. She had already hurt him so badly, but she wanted to be with him. She wanted him to know that she wasn't going to stop fighting for them and that she hoped he wouldn't stop either. As she got to the hospital room, she saw him look up at her from the bed and immediately look away.

She paused.

Did he not want her here? Was her presence making him feel worse? She didn't want to admit to such a thing, but this was a possibility. Taking a few hesitant steps towards him, Kyoko smiled gently to him. "Hi…" she breathed out in relief.

He didn't answer her.

She nervously took a step so that she could touch his shoulder and he flinched before moving away. What was going on here? Did he forget about her or something? Was he still mad at her. "Hi, Kuon. It's good to see you awake," she said softly as she wondered where her husband's mind was right now. "How are you feeling?"

Kuon didn't reply to her again and Kyoko froze.

"My name is Kyoko. I'm your -" Kyoko began but Kuon turned and looked at her, his eyes showing that he knew her and that he still loved her. Kyoko paused. "Okay, are you still mad at me, sweetheart?" she asked hoping that wasn't the case. He shook his head and Kyoko stared at him. Why wasn't he saying anything to her?

Kuon looked up at her and took her hand. He tapped on her ring and looked at her with hope in his eyes.

"Yes, we're still married." Kyoko said as Kuon tapped on her ring again and Kyoko looked at him and the bandages over his head. What was going on here? Why wasn't he speaking to her if he wasn't angry with her? "What is it?" she asked again before remembering how he had handed his ring to her. "You want yours back?" she asked and he nodded silently.

"Kuon?" she asked him nervously as she took it out of her pocket. "You know how much I love you. You know how much I will always love you. You're my prince Corn. You can tell me anything," she reached out for his cheek but saw him flinch. Was she scary to him?

"Is something - did I do something?" she asked and Kuon pointed to where she touched and shook his head as if trying to tell her something. "Am I allowed to touch you?" she asked and he nodded. "Then –" she nervously took a deep breath in. She was terrified of the answer but she wanted to ask anyway, "Kuon, why aren't you speaking to me?" she asked and Kuon looked away as if trying to decide what to say.

"Y-Yyou…" he shook his head. His voice wasn't coming out like it usually did. Usually he was so strong and charismatic and people wanted to speak to him. He was sympathetic and would talk problems out with his costars. Now it seemed that he was nervous when speaking to her. Was this the personality change that the doctors had been referring to.

"Okay, I'll what?" she asked as she wanted to hold him and tell him that because she was there that everything would be alright.

"Lllau—gh" he finished and Kyoko frowned with a confused expression on her face.

"Kuon, I wouldn't do that," she told him. "I would never. Sweetheart, it's alright. I promise that I won't laugh at you. Please tell me what's wrong." Kyoko had such want in her eyes and she saw how much pain her husband was in. It was as if every word was a chore to him. Was this the anxiety? Was he really not speaking to her because he was scared of her?"

"Iii…" he said weakly and Kyoko nodded, "sspea…" he shook his head again, seeming to give up. "Sssor-rry" he apologized and Kyoko blinked back tears.

Nervously, she reached out and took Kuon's hand, bringing it to her lips as she saw the damage that she hoped was one day reversible. She didn't want to say how he looked as if the world had already knocked everything out of him. She wanted to concentrate on him getting better and she had belief that he _would_ get better. "I love you," she told him as she wondered what was beneath those bandages. How bad were his external scars if his internal wounds were this deep?

Kuon looked away from her and Kyoko could see shame in his eyes. He was ashamed of himself because he didn't have mobility or proper speech anymore and had an infection in his lungs? He was ashamed because she had been forced to be with the Yakuza? Kyoko felt so much pain in her chest.

"Kuon Hizuri," she said passionately. "You think that I love you just because of what you've done. I love you because of who you are inside and I know that that won't change. Maybe it'll be harder for you to get your words out, but I know that you have some good ones inside of you. Maybe it'll be hard to adapt to society, but you've always excelled when different from everyone else. As long as you don't give up on yourself then I can fight for the two of us. I love you and if I could have changed any of this," she said before looking down. "I was told that you tried to jump off of the LME building and I want to believe that you were trying to fly."

Kuon looked away and shook his head, "Nnnot … ffly" he said as Kyoko nodded.

"I know, but you've always been spectacularly skilled even super human. To think that you fell backwards off of a balcony in front of me and then you misjudged which floor would kill you," she said before shaking her head. "Do you honestly think that you should die? You are the most important man who will ever be in my life, Kuon. Don't ignore that."

Kuon looked down and closed his eyes not wanting to admit how he'd messed everything up so he just nodded slowly. Kyoko sighed and put the ring on his finger before gesturing for him to make room in the bed so he did so. Kyoko curled into him and let her head rest on his chest.

"I love you."

 **End of Chapter Thirty-Seven**

 **Thank you for Reading**

 **Thank you reviewers of Chapter Thirty-Six**

Ashenvale, brennakai, Crazy4Animation, Erza, Kris, paulagato

 _I promise you things will turn out alright and there is a point to what I've decided to do in the story._


	39. Chapter 38 - The Way to Help

**AN:** I know I just worked on this and I have so many other fics to update, but I think I've got a cold again I think it's something when you work in retail that you're bound to pick up. I still promise I'm going to try to write a new chapter of The Little Prince every Monday but sometimes I have to take care of my inner writer. Well, I hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter Thirty Eight – The Way to Help**

Kyoko nervously sat in her bedroom. This was a new house to her. It didn't have the memories that they had shared in the apartment, but the way that Kuon had considerately taken care of everything important to her, the way he had packed and sorted out her makeup collection, the way he put her possessions in safe places. She looked down. She couldn't keep him safe despite the safety that he had provided for her.

Kyoko let her thumb run up the side of the phone and then nodded as she knew that she had to make the call. She felt tears in her eyes and she took deep breaths. She didn't want to be the one who told them this but Kuon was in no position to. She couldn't pass this off to anybody else. This was her responsibility.

She quickly selected her in-laws number and tried to steady her breath. She hoped that she wouldn't get the answering machine. She took a few breaths in and out to steady herself and then called. She closed her eyes and then heard her mother-in-law speak in her American accent.

"[Hello, this is Julie Hizuri. How can I help you?]"

Kyoko tried to muffle a sob but it didn't work, "Ju-Julie," she said. She hated that it was so hard to call her mother because of Saena. She closed her eyes, "I need to -"

"Kyoko, honey, what is it?" Julie asked as she recognized her voice and turned her speech to Japanese.

"It's…Would it be okay if Kuon and I brought Aurora to stay in America for a little time?" she asked looking down and trying to stop her tears. She didn't feel she had the right to worry this warm and kind mother but it was important that she got it out. "I don't want….I can't face…"

"Kyoko, of course that's okay, but are _you_ okay?" Julie asked worried. "Darling, is there anything that you need from me?"

Kyoko closed her eyes, "Kuon's really hurt," she admitted as if she was ripping off a Band-Aid.

"Was there an acci-" Julie asked in shock but was cut off by a loud sob.

"He tried to kill himself but he failed. He tried to jump off of a building but he didn't judge the distance and now he's really hurt. I don't want him to be in Japan anymore, not when Japan holds so many precious memories for him…for both of us," she said as she heard Julie start crying.

"He-" Julie said in disbelief. "Kyoko, this is an acting test, right? It's a joke?"

"I would never joke to you about Kuon like this," Kyoko argued passionately. She gazed down at her feet. "Julie, he's…he's hurt his head, he's having trouble speaking and I'm not sure if there's anything else that he's having trouble with apart from…he's injured his spine, he can't walk. He was already in a wheelchair before but he was making so much progress. I know that you and father must hate me for what I did to hi-"

"That doesn't matter right now," Julie said, she didn't want to admit that she was still angry but she was trying to come to terms with what happened. "We never hated you," she argued. "I'm sure you had your reasons but I'm allowed to -"

"Yes." Kyoko took another nervous breath, "but no matter how angry the two of you are at me, I'm not asking for me. I'm asking for him."

Julie tried to take slow breaths, "Thank you for that. Thank you for taking care of him," she tried to show her gratitude but her concern for her son was showing through her words. "Can I just ask one question?" she inquired but didn't wait for a response, "Why?"

"He thought that he was done with the cancer treatments and then it showed that he had an infection in his lung. I think he was so tired of fighting that he just wanted to end it all. I think that if he had been one floor up, he might have died but I'm not sure, maybe it was two," Kyoko told her before looking down. "I just don't want him here. I don't want him to see people ridicule him and see him lose his position and reputation as an actor. The work of Ren Tsuruga has a lot of weight in this country, I don't want him to lose that as well."

Kyoko closed her eyes as tears filled them. She would have to discuss this with the president and perhaps even Yashiro, but she wanted them to move to America without anyone interviewing Kuon. She wanted to cover all of this up, give some excuse and move to where the world wouldn't be able to hurt him further.

"Can you help me find a place to live?" Kyoko asked, "It has to be big enough for Aurora too and we have a lot of things that we'd want to move over as well, is it alright to have some boxes sent to your address?"

"Yes," Julie nodded. "Don't worry about that. Do you want Kuu or I to come over and help?" she asked and Kyoko took a weak breath in.

"I wouldn't want to disturb your work," she said quickly. "I know that the two of you have full schedules, so I'll manage but if you _did_ have time to come over then for his benefit I hope you do. He's having a hard time getting his words out though so don't pressure him on that. I don't think you would but it's - he didn't want to speak to me," she sobbed, "because he was terrified that I'd laugh at him."

Julie took deep breaths, "I would never judge him or make fun of him. I have a week and a half off right now, I can bring the work that I'm currently focused on over and then I think that Kuu's acting job finishes soon as well."

Kyoko looked down, "Thank you, and Father, he wouldn't -"

"No. Neither of us would make fun of either of our children if they were struggling. Can you give him our love?" she asked and Kyoko nodded with a deep breath.

"I will, thank you, Julie," she said and then finished the conversation with her mother-in-law.

Was it too much to hope for a full recovery?

…..

…..

When Kuu entered the house, he felt surprised to see that Julie had ordered delivery and was just putting the boxes from their favorite Chinese restaurant on the table. Julie had taken some time off and that meant that she was able to cook and try to prepare meals for the family. However, when she ordered other people's food it usually suggested something wasn't right.

"Jules?" he asked as he saw Julie stare at him. It was obvious that she had been crying. "What is it?" Kuu asked nervously and reached out to touch her, "My love, what -"

"He's alive, she said that he's alive," Julie tried to tell her husband first so that he wouldn't find himself uneasy as she started to explain what was going on.

"Who said who was alive?" Kuu asked confused and Julie bowed her head.

"Kuon's in the hospital," she said as Kuu's face turned into one of sadness and pain, "They said the cancer's spread and he was -"

"How?" Kuu asked, "I just spoke to him. He just told me that he needed the surgery and after that everything would be fine. He sounded so confident when he called me the last time," he said and Julie put a finger to her lips.

"Kuu, he tried to…end his life by jumping off a building," she said as her whole body shook. Kuu looked at her, his eyes widening in horror and he tried to shake it off.

"This isn't a joke, Julie," he told her. He didn't want to believe that _that_ had actually happened. He looked forward to his wife who was shaking her head. He knew that she wouldn't joke about that. He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around his wife.

"It's…would I ever use _our_ Kuon in a joke like this?" she asked him and Kuu remained silent, he knew that she wouldn't. "He's alive but he has major damage to his spine as well as his head. According to Kyoko, his speech isn't right and he's having trouble speaking and I warn you Kuu if you make him feel worse then I'll leave you without a second thought."

"Of course not," Kuu said quickly. "Never. I would never hurt him. We would never do anything to hurt him."

Julie nodded, "Kyoko doesn't want the three of them in Japan anymore. She says she doesn't want to ruin Ren Tsuruga's legacy and that she wants to keep his condition a secret from everyone. That means that it's really bad because she's never asked for help like this before."

Kuu paled and he had to admit that that was true, "I can -"

"You finish your role. I'll go see Lory and talk to him about how to cover this up. I'll go and help Kyoko and see how bad his condition is. You finish your role and join us as soon as you are able to. Didn't you once tell me that a professional works to get the job done even when there's a personal tragedy," Julie said as she placed a hand on Kuu's chest and he looked at her with so much pain in his eyes.

"You and Kuon are the exception for me. You've known that every day something seemed to be going wrong for him when he was a kid, I get distracted and worried and you're telling me he jumped off a building hoping to end his life," Kuu tried to argue but Julie leaned up and kissed him.

"I know you can do it," she told him before looking back at the food, "I'm catching a plane very late tonight. I'll give you as many updates as I'm able to and I'll make sure that Kyoko and Aurora are alright as well. I just wish I had known how much pain he was in."

"Can you do one thing for me?" Kuu asked as he let his fingers run through Julie's hair and she nodded. "Make sure Kuon knows that, no matter what his condition, I love him. I'll always love him unconditionally. He's my one and only son."

Julie nodded, "I promise," she said to him before clinging to him as if he was her life raft and breaking down into tears as she worried about her little boy.

…..

…..

Kyoko was walking to the hospital with Yashiro beside her. She knew that Yashiro and Kuon had a friendship between them that would most likely be a source of strength and support for her husband, but she didn't want to risk overwhelming him since nobody was sure the extent of his injury or illness.

"You promise that you'll wait outside until I know?" Kyoko asked him and Yashiro nodded.

"I will do that, it'll give me a chance to survey the area and see if there is anybody untrustworthy. The president and I will do our best to conceal this incident from the rest of Japan but parts might escape," Yashiro tried to warn her and Kyoko nodded.

"I know, jumping off a building is a hard thing to hide but the fact that he's having trouble mentally is something that should be able to keep hidden," she looked at him and then stared at the floor. "I do feel guilty asking so much of you, we always have since the early stages of our -"

"It is an honor to be friends with the two of you," Yashiro said before tilting his head and leaned towards Kyoko. "Are you okay though? With what _you've_ personally been through?" he asked showing that Kuon wasn't the only person who was hurting here.

"I'm getting to be," Kyoko said honestly. "So, you'll wait here?" she asked as she tried to hide the tears.

Yashiro pulled out a clean handkerchief and handed it to her, "Yes. I believe in him, you know, I believe that no matter what he'll recover. I'm pissed at him for doing this but I understand it," he said and Kyoko nodded.

"If the damage wasn't so bad I'd have yelled at him," she said before taking deep breaths and getting herself into a condition in which she could face Kuon.

 **End of Chapter Thirty Eight**

 **Thank you for choosing to read this chapter**

 **Thank you so much reviewers of Chapter Thirty-Seven**

Ashenvale, Crazy4Animation, Erza, and Kris


	40. Chapter 39 - Step Into the Future

**AN:** I feel like, although there are major gaps, this fic should finish soon. I hope you enjoy it though. I've always felt that it's an honor to write it for all of my readers. This is a short chapter but again, I hope you enjoy it.

 **Chapter Thirty-Nine – Step into the Future**

Kyoko took a few nervous steps towards the hospital bed. She knew that she wasn't disgusted by how he was. She understood that it would take time for him to heal from the injuries, but she felt angry and hurt and guilty. She didn't want to have these feelings towards him. She didn't want to be angry because he tried to fly off of a roof but he had put those in there. She wanted to explain everything that had happened with her father but he didn't seem to want to know that.

Maybe it was best to bury the past, but she had always felt that the two of them could be honest with each other within their relationship. As much as she wanted to run to him and make him feel better, she didn't know how much she had a right to do.

As she saw him looking down at his hands, she looked up at the ceiling trying to decide whether to approach him or just watch him. She wound up looking at him with a smile. "Hey sweetheart, what's going on? How are you doing?" she told him.

Kuon closed his eyes and then looked away from her. Kyoko hated when the distance was felt and she wanted to do whatever she could to close it. In a situation like this though…what was there for her to do?

"Yashiro came to see you, is it alright for him to come in?" Kyoko asked and Kuon looked at her before nodding but held up a finger and gestured for her to come close to him. Kyoko did so without any hesitation and stood in front of him. She grinned as she looked at him and then kissed his forehead as he squeezed her hand.

"IImm ssor-rry" he said stumbling over the words again and Kyoko nodded.

"I know you are, you wouldn't want for this to happen and I know how scary it is but you're going to have to fight harder than you ever had before. You're going to have to fight with every single part of your body. I just hope that you chose to fight for us. I don't know what we'd do without such a loving husband and father," she wrapped her arms around him.

"Ppp-ress" Kuon said nervously and Kyoko shook her head.

Kyoko smiled and placed a finger to her lips before looking at her husband with a smile on her face. "It's a secret that we're going to create together. I talked to your mom and she knows of a great place for treatment that will make it so you can start living your life again _if_ you're willing to work for it," Kyoko told him. "That way we'll be with your parents and we'll have support with Aurora."

Kuon looked down and sighed as he stared at the sheets. It didn't take a genius to realize that he was worried about something. Kyoko pulled up a chair so that she could sit next to him. She took his hands in hers and let her thumb gently run against them.

"I'm sorry, I was really trying to do what was best for us, I love you so much, Kuon," she told him and then tilted her head to the side. "Are you angry that I talked to your mother?" she watched as Kuon shook his head and she paused. Yes, Kuon usually didn't have many problems with what his mother knew or didn't know. Kuon always expected Julie to be strong and supportive and maybe that meant. "Are you upset with father knowing how you are?" she asked as he nodded.

"He loves you. I know that Kuu loves you so much," she tried to remind him. She had always heard that Kuon wanted to be an actor because he saw what his father did and he admired it. He was one of the founding members of the Kuu HIzuri admiration club. To think that Kuu wouldn't accept him felt strange. Kuu loved Kuon and even like this he wouldn't judge him or mistreat him. Was there a side to Kuu that she didn't know about?

"I lle—t hh-imm ddow'" Kuon told her and Kyoko shook her head and kissed his forehead.

"Never, now shall I tell Yashiro that you need a few more minutes?" Kyoko asked and Kuon shook his head. "Okay, then I'll ask him to come in," she said before going to the door and opening it so that Yashiro would be able to come in and say his farewell for the time being.

…..

…..

Yashiro stood opposite Kuon, after all of this time it was easy to admit that Kuon had become his close friend which made it hard to say goodbye to him. They had each spent so much time with one another, furthering the other's career that now that Yashiro didn't know if he would see his friend return to Japan it made it quite hard on him.

"So," the manager said as he took a seat next to the bed. "I really want for you to get better. I want to yell at you in Kyoko's place for attempting to end your life but when there's real loneliness it becomes easier to understand the fear of the weakening ties. I'm always here for you though. No matter what is going on, if you'd ever like to talk to me…"

"Eeemail?" Kuon asked hesitantly and Yashiro raised an eyebrow before laughing.

"Sure, I'll make sure to keep my hands covered so that I can use the computer without blowing it up. Just, Kuon, your friendship has meant a lot to me. I hope that we can see each other again but you're going to have to fight for it. Fight to get better. I've always had a lot of faith in Shuuhei Hozu's work and I think that his love for you is going to be just the medicine that you need."

Kuon nodded, "Thann' for …evverry"

"Of course," Yashiro nodded before smiling to his injured friend, "and to you as well. I'll be awaiting your return to Japan as soon as you're ready to come back. I believe in you. I think that you're strong enough to win."

Kuon nodded and looked down realizing just how much he would miss about this country.

 **One Month Later**

Kuu entered the building where Kuon was working on different therapies. He had been sent in Kyoko's place because she had tended to overly worry about her husband. With all of the secrets that had been shared between them, Kuu felt slightly like an outsider but he was glad that he wasn't as much an outsider as the Japanese news and media which they had found a way to avoid. As he sat in the waiting room he tried to think of how Kuon seemed so different. His illness had taken a toll but he was still fighting for everything he believed in, for his family, for his daughter.

As the door for the therapist's office opened, Kuu watched as Kuon rolled himself out in the wheelchair. "Hey," he said calmly as he stood to grab the arms of the chair. "How did it go today?" he asked his son and Kuon sighed.

"Better," he admitted. He didn't speak very much but his voice was getting better, it was just longer sentences that he struggled with and he was getting better at speaking those as well. Kuu offered a half-hearted smile and looked upon his son. He had lost weight but the doctors had hope for his recovery. Kuu had hope too.

"Well that's good to hear," the older man said as he looked at the therapist, "Is there anything that I need to know."

"Nothing vital," the therapist said, "It's up to Kuon whether he decides to tell you anything more. So, next week at the same time?"

"Sounds good," Kuu nodded before looking at his son, watching him. He thought about how his son was in public versus how his son was at home. He didn't know if he would ever see Kuon act with such refined acting technique as Ren had, but he was happy to see the way Kuon looked at his daughter. The way that he adored her and put her above all else. Kyoko was also prioritized like that. It was the way that a family should be.

"Let's head back," he told his son as he said a farewell to the therapist and started to push Kuon down the hallway. "You've been through a lot," Kuu reminded his son, "and I'm so proud that you've worked so hard to achieve your dreams."

"Dad, stop…" Kuon told him before looking out at the world around him. He closed his eyes as the memories of America sunk in again, the memories of his teenage years. "Kyoko needs to know."

Kuu blinked confused, "She needs to know what?" he asked and Kuon refused to speak anymore. Knowing that he wouldn't get any further information from his son, Kuu remained quiet for a while. He hoped that Kuon would speak again. He wanted to hear his son speak his mind. After all the quiet feeling of abandonment had led to his suicide attempt.

"She needs to find….another…" he said and Kuu shook his head.

"I'm afraid that that is an impossible request," he said and Kuon gripped to his wrist. "It's not my place but I have to ask, have you fallen out of love with her?"

"I love…her more than….anything," Kuon admitted but looked up at the sky. He still wanted to fly in the sky. He wanted to interact with the world around him and have things go back to normal. Things _would_ be normal again one day, wouldn't they?

 **End of Chapter Thirty-Nine**

 **Thank you for reading, sorry for the brevity**

 **Thank you reviewers of Chapter Thirty-Eight**

Crazy4Animation, Kris, paulagato


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